title: Argonaute: A scaffold for the function of short regulatory RNAs.
abstract: Argonaute is the central protein component of RNA-silencing mechanisms. It provides the platform for target-mRNA recognition by short regulatory guide RNA strands and the Slicer catalytic activity for mRNA cleavage in RNA interference. Multiple Argonaute sub-families can be identified phylogenetically yet, despite this diversity, molecular and sequence analyses show that Argonaute proteins share common molecular properties and the capacity to function through a common mechanism. Recently, the members of the Piwi sub-family have been shown to interact with new classes of short regulatory RNAs, Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) and repeat-associated small interfering RNAs (rasiRNAs), which has implications for developmental processes and introduces a new dimension to the field of RNA silencing.
authors.affiliation: Section of Structural Biology, Institute of Cancer Research, Chester Beatty Laboratories, 237 Fulham Road, London, SW3 6JB, UK. jparker@icr.ac.uk
authors.forename: James S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Parker
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Barford
mesh_terms: D001665:Binding Sites; D020134:Catalytic Domain; D008958:Models, Molecular; D011487:Protein Conformation; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins