3vnb is a 1 chain structure with sequence from Arath. Full crystallographic information is available from OCA. For a guided tour on the structure components use FirstGlance.
The RISC-associated Argonaute (Ago) proteins play the catalytic role for RISC-mediated gene regulation by selecting small RNAs and subsequent targeting and cleavage of complementary mRNAs. Ago Mid domains are proposed to play essential roles in small RNA sorting. Here, we report the crystal structures of Arabidopsis Ago1 Mid domain and its chimera mutant with part of Ago1 replaced by Ago4. The structures demonstrate that a single amino insertion in the nucleotide specificity loop of AtAgo1 will change the nucleotide binding preference of AtAgo1 from "5'-U" to "5'-A". Moreover, we identify a long positively charged groove located along the "5'-end-nucleotide specificity loop" and occupied by several sulfate ions with the distance of 9-11A distance, indicating a putative mRNA target binding groove.
Structural insights into small RNA sorting and mRNA target binding by Arabidopsis Argonaute Mid domains.,Zha X, Xia Q, Adam Yuan Y FEBS Lett. 2012 Sep 21;586(19):3200-7. doi: 10.1016/j.febslet.2012.06.038. Epub, 2012 Jul 3. PMID:22771475[1]
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
↑ Zha X, Xia Q, Adam Yuan Y. Structural insights into small RNA sorting and mRNA target binding by Arabidopsis Argonaute Mid domains. FEBS Lett. 2012 Sep 21;586(19):3200-7. doi: 10.1016/j.febslet.2012.06.038. Epub, 2012 Jul 3. PMID:22771475 doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.febslet.2012.06.038
