Promoting instability

Instead of blocking tumor necrosis factor (TNF) with antibodies, a strategy based on destabilizing the cytokine's mRNA could provide a new option for treating inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, according to findings from a group at NIH's National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS).

In a study published in theProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a group led by NIEHS senior investigator Perry Blackshear proposed that promoting the expression of the mRNA-binding protein zinc finger protein 36 C3H type homolog (ZFP36; TTP) could block inflammation by accelerating the degradation of mRNA for proinflammatory cytokines...