The role of the 3′ untranslated region in post-transcriptional regulation of protein expression in mammalian cells

The untranslated regions (UTRs) at the 3' end of mRNA transcripts contain important sequences that influence the fate of mRNA and thus proteosynthesis. In this review, we summarize the information known to date about 3' end processing, sequence characteristics including related binding proteins and the role of 3' UTRs in several selected signaling pathways to delineate their importance in the regulatory processes in mammalian cells. In addition to reviewing recent advances in the more well-known aspects, such as cleavage and polyadenylation processes that influence mRNA stability and location, we concentrate on some newly emerging concepts of the role of the 3' UTR, including alternative polyadenylation sites in relation to proliferation and differentiation and the recognition of the multi-functional properties of non-coding RNAs, including miRNAs that commonly target the 3' UTR. The emerging picture is of a highly complex set of regulatory systems that include autoregulation, cooperativity and competition to fine tune proteosynthesis in context-dependent manners.