title: Protein-RNA recognition.
abstract: Specific interactions between RNAs and proteins are fundamental to many cellular processes, including the assembly and function of ribonucleoprotein particles (RNPs), such as ribosomes and spliceosomes and the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. Among the complexes studied to date are small RNAs bound to individual amino acids, tRNAs and tRNA fragments bound to their cognate aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases, and a variety of proteins bound to RNA single strands, hairpins, irregular helices, and tertiary structures stabilized by bound cations. Several proteins use a beta-sheet surface to bind RNAs, and others insert an alpha-helix into the widened major groove of a non-canonical RNA helix. Distortion or rearrangement of the RNA structure by bound protein is a common theme. The structural details of protein-RNA complexes are being resolved by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and X-ray crystallography, but thorough thermodynamic analyses of recognition mechanisms have yet to be performed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA.
authors.forename: D E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Draper
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000596:Amino Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D000604:Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015394:Molecular Structure; D010455:Peptides / Q000378:metabolism; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012313:RNA / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012261:Ribonucleoproteins / Q000378:metabolism; D016335:Zinc Fingers / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D010455:Peptides; D011506:Proteins; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; D012261:Ribonucleoproteins; D012313:RNA; D004247:DNA; D000604:Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases