MCPIP1, alias Regnase-1 binds and cleaves mRNA of C/EBPβ

CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein beta (C/EBPβ) is a transcription factor controlling a broad range of genes essential for homeostasis, including genes related to immune functions, inflammation, metabolism and growth. Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1-induced protein 1 (MCPIP1) also called as Regnase-1 is an RNase and has been shown to decrease the stability of short-lived transcripts coding for inflammation-related proteins, including IL-1β, IL-6, IL-2, IL-8, IL-12b, IER-3, c-Rel. We found previously that the half-life of the C/EBPβ transcript is regulated by MCPIP. To understand the mechanism driving down-regulation of C/EBPβ by MCPIP1, we applied an in vitro cleavage assay, followed by a luciferase-reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP). We demonstrated that MCPIP1 recognizes regions of the 3'UTR of C/EBPβ mRNA and promotes its decay by introducing direct endonucleolytic cleavage.