Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas-Houston Medical School, P.O. Box 20708, Houston, TX 77225, USA.
A 122 nt uridine-rich sequence (URE) in the Na(+)/glucose cotransporter (SGLT1) mRNA 3'-untranslated region is critical for cAMP-dependent message stabilization. Its function was investigated in LLC-PK(1) cells stably expressing beta-globin reporter transcripts. Insertion of the SGLT1 URE downstream from an unrelated destabilizing sequence, the c-fos ARE, evoked cAMP-dependent message stabilization. Stabilization was blocked by a substitution mutation within the SLGT1 URE. These observations indicate that the SGLT1 URE is sufficient to transmit cAMP-dependent, cis-dominant mRNA stabilization in the presence of appropriate trans-acting factors and appears to function independently of the nature of the destabilizing domain.