HuR, an RNA-binding protein, involved in the control of cellular differentiation.

HuR is an RNA-binding protein that resides predominantly in the nucleus but shuttles to the cytosol carrying mRNAs containing a uridylate-rich region in the 3'untranslated region. Data suggest that HuR is involved in the control of the differentiation process through a tightly regulated selection of mRNAs to be shuttled to the cytosol for translation. In this review, the function of HuR in the differentiation process of preadipocytes is examined in the context of specific mRNAs selected by HuR for translocation to the cytosol.