| dc.description.abstract | Posttranscriptional gene regulation
(PTR) is a fundamental biological process that
integrates with the master transcriptional control of
gene expression, in ways that only in the last decade
have been increasingly understood [1, 2]. While
epigenetic and transcriptional events shape cell
response qualitatively, deciding the pattern of gene
expression to ‘switch on or off’ in response to
endogenous or environmental triggers, the key task of
PTR is to act as a ‘rheostat’ and rapidly adapt the
cellular response by providing the appropriate
amplitude and timing to the protein expression patterns
[3, 4]. The pivotal role of this mechanism comes to the
forefront in inflammatory and immune response, where
the changes in amplitude and duration in the expression
of dangerous and protective genes are in delicate
balance, and are critical in determining either the
successful resolution of the immune response or its
chronic overexpression [5]. This brief review introduces
members of the main classes of molecules mediating the
cytoplasmic arm of gene regulation, namely RNAbinding proteins and micro-RNA (miRNA), and
summarizes experimental data that underscore the role
of these molecules in the pathophysiology of chronic
inflammation, as well as their promising value as
mechanisms conveying the anti-inflammatory effect of
synthetic glucocorticoids. | en_US |
