HuD otherwise known as ELAV-like protein 4 is a protein

Protein

Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...

 that in humans is encoded by the ELAVL4 gene

Gene

A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...

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The HuD/ELAVL4 protein is an RNA-binding protein

RNA-binding protein

RNA-binding proteins are proteins that bind to RNA. They bind to either double-strand or single-strand RNAs through RNA recognition motif . RNA-binding proteins may regulate the translation of RNA, and post-transcriptional events, such as RNA splicing, editing.They are cytoplasmic and nuclear...

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HuD is expressed only in neurons and it binds to AU-rich element

AU-rich element

AU-rich elements are one of the most common types of regulatory elements found in mRNAs. They are involved in the control of gene expression. They are the most common determinant of RNA stability in mammalian cells....

-containing mRNAs. As a result of this interaction the half-life of the transcript is increased. HuD is important in neurons during brain development and plasticity.

Interactions

HuD (protein) has been shown to interact

Protein-protein interaction

Protein–protein interactions occur when two or more proteins bind together, often to carry out their biological function. Many of the most important molecular processes in the cell such as DNA replication are carried out by large molecular machines that are built from a large number of protein...

 with NXF1

NXF1

Nuclear RNA export factor 1, also known as NXF1, is a protein which in humans is encoded by the NXF1 gene.-Function:This gene is one member of a family of nuclear RNA export factor genes...

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Further reading