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Publication Abstract from PubMed

RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) commonly feature multiple RNA-binding domains (RBDs), which provide these proteins with a modular architecture. Accumulating evidence supports that RBP architectural modularity and adaptability define the specificity of their interactions with RNA. However, how multiple RBDs recognize their cognate single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) sequences in concert remains poorly understood. Here, we use Upstream of N-Ras (Unr) as a model system to address this question. Although reported to contain five ssRNA-binding cold-shock domains (CSDs), we demonstrate that Unr includes an additional four CSDs that do not bind RNA (pseudo-RBDs) but are involved in mediating RNA tertiary structure specificity by reducing the conformational heterogeneity of Unr. Disrupting the interactions between canonical and non-canonical CSDs impacts RNA binding, Unr-mediated translation regulation, and the Unr-dependent RNA interactome. Taken together, our studies reveal a new paradigm in protein-RNA recognition, where interactions between RBDs and pseudo-RBDs select RNA tertiary structures, influence RNP assembly, and define target specificity.

Pseudo-RNA-Binding Domains Mediate RNA Structure Specificity in Upstream of N-Ras.,Hollmann NM, Jagtap PKA, Masiewicz P, Guitart T, Simon B, Provaznik J, Stein F, Haberkant P, Sweetapple LJ, Villacorta L, Mooijman D, Benes V, Savitski MM, Gebauer F, Hennig J Cell Rep. 2020 Jul 21;32(3):107930. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.107930. PMID:32697992^[1]

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.