CA repeats in the 3'-untranslated region of bcl-2 mRNA mediate constitutive decay of bcl-2 mRNA.

An AU-rich element (ARE) in the 3'-untranslated region (UTR) of bcl-2 mRNA has previously been shown to be responsible for destabilizing bcl-2 mRNA during apoptosis through increasing AUF1 binding. In the present study, we investigated the effect of the region upstream of the ARE on bcl-2 mRNA stability using serial deletion constructs of the 3'-UTR of bcl-2. Deletion of 30 nucleotides mostly consisting of the CA repeats, located upstream of the ARE, resulted in the stabilization of bcl-2 mRNA abundance, in the absence or presence of the ARE. The specificity of the CA repeats in terms of destabilizing bcl-2 mRNA was proven by the substituting the CA repeats with other alternative repeats of purine/pyrimidine, but this had no effect on the stability of bcl-2 mRNA. CA repeats alone, however, failed to confer instability to bcl-2 or gfp reporter mRNAs, indicating a requirement for additional sequences in the upstream region of the 3'-UTR. Serial deletion and replacement of a part of the region upstream of the CA repeats revealed that the entire 131-nucleotide upstream region is an essential prerequisite for the CA repeat-dependent destabilization of bcl-2 mRNA. Unlike the ARE, CA repeat-mediated degradation of bcl-2 mRNA was not accelerated upon apoptotic stimulus. Moreover, the upstream sequences and CA repeats are conserved among mammals. Collectively, CA repeats contribute to the constitutive decay of bcl-2 mRNA in the steady states, thereby maintaining appropriate bcl-2 levels in mammalian cells.