Roles of HnRNP Q in Post-Transcriptional Regulations of Clock Genes and p53 mRNA

Abstract

The physiological and behavioral circadian rhythms of most creatures are controlled by a harmony of functional relationships between clock genes. In mammals, several core clock genes show rhythmic profiles of their mRNA and protein expression. For the continuous and robust oscillation of the molecular clock system, the levels of clock genes are expected to be tightly regulated with the correct timing. Here, I demonstrate that heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein (hnRNP) Q regulates gene expression of mouse Rev-erb α and Period3 through Internal Ribosomal Entry Site (IRES) -mediated translation control and translation-mRNA decay coupling mechanism, respectively. Furthermore, I suggest that hnRNP Q modulates p53 mRNA translation initiation under normal and stress condition, leading to affect p53 protein accumulation kinetics.