From 2nd International Conference of cGMP Generators, Effectors and Therapeutic Implications Potsdam, Germany, 10–12 June, 2005First paragraph (this article has no abstract) Posttranscriptional mechanisms of gene regulation, particularly those affecting mRNA stability, are emerging as critical effectors of gene expression changes. Although the mechanisms determining mRNA turnover are poorly understood, they are generally believed to involve RNA-binding proteins recognizing specific RNA sequences. Best characterized among the RNA sequences that influence mRNA stability are AU-rich elements (AREs), usually found in the 3'untraslated regions (UTR). The stability of a particular mRNA is controlled by specific interactions between structural elements of the mRNA and RNA-binding proteins. Of these proteins the best studied are AUF1 proteins that destabilize and ELAV-like proteins that stabilizes different mRNAs.Peer reviewed