Histone 3' UTR stem-loop

The Histone 3' UTR stem-loop is an RNA element involved in nucleocytoplasmic transport of the histone mRNAs, and in the regulation of stability and of translation efficiency in the cytoplasm. The mRNAs of metazoan histone genes lack polyadenylation and a poly-A tail, instead 3' end processing occurs at a site between this highly conserved stem-loop and a purine rich region around 20 nucleotides downstream (the histone downstream element, or HDE). The stem-loop is bound by a 31 kDa stem-loop binding protein (SLBP - also termed the histone hairpin binding protein, or HBP). Together with U7 snRNA binding of the HDE, SLBP binding nucleates the formation of the processing complex.

References

• [1] Williams, AS; Marzluff WF (1995). "The sequence of the stem and flanking sequences at the 3' end of histone mRNA are critical determinants for the binding of the stem-loop binding protein". Nucleic Acids Res 23 (4): 654–662. doi:10.1093/nar/23.4.654. PMC 306734. PMID 7899087. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=306734. 
• [2] Dominski, Z; Marzluff WF (1999). "Formation of the 3' end of histone mRNA". Gene 239 (1): 1–14. doi:10.1016/S0378-1119(99)00367-4. PMID 10571029. 
• [3] Zanier, K; Luyten, I, Crombie, C, Muller, B, Schümperli, D, Linge, JP, Nilges, M, Sattler, M (2002). "Structure of the histone mRNA hairpin required for cell cycle regulation of histone gene expression.". RNA 8 (1): 29–46. PMID 11871659. 

External links

• Rfam page for Histone 3' UTR stem-loop
• Transterm page for Histone 3' stem loop
• UTRSite page for Histone 3'UTR stem-loop structure (HSL3)