Zinc Finger Protein 36 Homolog (ZFP36)

The mouse tristetraprolin protein (TTP) is a basic proline-rich protein of molecular mass 33,600 Da that contains 3 PPPP repeats. Its mRNA level increases dramatically after stimulation with various mitogens. Also called ZFP36, Nup475, and TISII or TIS11, it has been localized to the cell nucleus and is thought to contain an unusual zinc finger structure.TTP, which is 87% identical to the mouse protein; the putative zinc finger structure is conserved among human, mouse and rat.C-terminal truncated forms of TTP, as well as a 77-amino acid fragment that contains both zinc fingers, could bind to the TNF-alpha ARE in cell-free crosslinking and gel shift assays. In addition, the truncated forms of TTP could stimulate the deadenylation and/or breakdown of TNF-alpha mRNA in intact cells.