Hel-N1 (S27) polyclonal antibody

The Elav-like genes encode for a family of RNA-binding proteins. Elav, a Drosophila protein and the first described member, is expressed immediately after neuroblastic differentiation into neurons and is necessary for neuronal differentiation and maintenance. Several mammalian Elav-like proteins, designated HuC, HuD and Hel-N1, are also expressed in postmitotic neurons. An additional mammalian homolog, HuR, which is also designated HuA, is ubiquitously expressed and is also overexpressed in a wide variety of tumors. Characteristically, these homologs all contain three RNA recognition motifs (RRM), and they specifically bind to AU-rich elements (ARE) in the 3'-untranslated region of mRNAs transcripts. ARE sites target mRNA for rapid degradation and thereby regulate the expression levels of genes involved in cell growth and differentiation.