Bent out of shape: RNA unwinding by the DEAD-box helicase Vasa.
RNA helicases of the DEAD-box family are involved in essentially all RNA-dependent cellular processes. In this issue of Cell, Sengoku et al. (2006) solve the structure of the DEAD-box protein Vasa in the presence of RNA and a nonhydrolyzable ATP analog and provide important insights into how this family of helicases unwinds RNA.
Linder
Patrick
P
Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, Centre Médical Universitaire, University of Geneva, CH-1211 Genève 4, Switzerland. patrick.linder@medecine.unige.ch
Lasko
Paul
P
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D053487:DEAD-box RNA Helicases; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000201:enzymology; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009691:Nucleic Acid Denaturation; D011487:Protein Conformation; D012313:RNA / Q000378:metabolism*; D020365:RNA Helicases / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D012313:RNA; C088269:vas protein, Drosophila; D053487:DEAD-box RNA Helicases; D020365:RNA Helicases