title: Functional diversity of the hnRNPs: past, present and perspectives.
abstract: The hnRNPs (heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins) are RNA-binding proteins with important roles in multiple aspects of nucleic acid metabolism, including the packaging of nascent transcripts, alternative splicing and translational regulation. Although they share some general characteristics, they vary greatly in terms of their domain composition and functional properties. Although the traditional grouping of the hnRNPs as a collection of proteins provided a practical framework, which has guided much of the research on them, this approach is becoming increasingly incompatible with current knowledge about their structural and functional divergence. Hence, we review the current literature to examine hnRNP diversity, and discuss how this impacts upon approaches to the classification of RNA-binding proteins in general.
authors.affiliation: University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: Siew Ping
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Yue Hang
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Ross
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D014644:Genetic Variation; D034441:Heterogeneous-Nuclear Ribonucleoproteins / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D011485:Protein Binding; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D012313:RNA / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012322:RNA Precursors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012326:RNA Splicing; D020871:RNA Stability
chemical_list: D034441:Heterogeneous-Nuclear Ribonucleoproteins; D012322:RNA Precursors; D012313:RNA