title: Structure and RNA binding of the mouse Pumilio-2 Puf domain.
abstract: Puf proteins control translation through the interaction of a C-terminal Puf domain with specific sequences present in the 3' untranslated region of messenger RNAs. In Drosophila, binding of the protein Pumilio to mRNA leads to translational repression which is required for anterior/posterior patterning during embryogenesis. The vertebrate Pumilio homologue 2 (Pum2) has been implicated in controlling germ cell development through interactions with the RNA binding proteins deleted in azoospermia (DAZ), DAZ-like (DAZL) and BOULE. We present the 1.6A resolution X-ray crystal structure of the Puf domain from murine Pum2 and demonstrate that this domain is capable of binding with nanomolar affinity to RNA sequences from the hunchback Nanos response element (NRE) and a previously identified Pum2 binding element (PBE).
authors.affiliation: Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK.
authors.forename: Huw T
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Jenkins
authors.forename: Rosanna
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Baker-Wilding
authors.forename: Thomas A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Edwards
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D012313:RNA / Q000737:chemistry*; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D020218:Response Elements
chemical_list: D029721:Drosophila Proteins; C471243:PUM2 protein, human; C445087:Pum2 protein, mouse; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; C074333:pum protein, Drosophila; D012313:RNA