Pooja Kumari, Florian Aeschimann, Dimos Gaidatzis, Jeremy J Keusch, Pritha Ghosh, Anca Neagu, Katarzyna Pachulska-Wieczorek, Janusz M Bujnicki, Heinz Gut, Helge Großhans, Rafal Ciosk
RNA-binding proteins regulate all aspects of RNA metabolism. Their association with RNA is mediated by RNA-binding domains, of which many remain uncharacterized. A recently reported example is the NHL domain, found in prominent regulators of cellular plasticity like the C. elegans LIN-41. Here we employ an integrative approach to dissect the RNA specificity of LIN-41. Using computational analysis, structural biology, and in vivo studies in worms and human cells, we find that a positively charged pocket, specific to the NHL domain of LIN-41 and its homologs (collectively LIN41), recognizes a stem-loop RNA element, whose shape determines the binding specificity...
April 19, 2018: Nature Communications