Fig. 3.

 Regulation of tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) transcripts by TIA-1. An adenine-uridine–rich element (ARE) tethers TIA-1 to the 3′ untranslated region of TNFα transcripts. This increases the likelihood that TIA-1 will assemble at a noncanonical, translationally silent preinitiation complex, which delivers these transcripts to stress granules (SGs). The SG is proposed to function as a translational checkpoint that monitors mRNP composition and determines whether individual transcripts are stabilized or degraded. The ARE-binding proteins HuR and TTP are proposed to act downstream of the assembly of SGs to influence the functional fate of individual transcripts