Role for a bidentate ribonuclease in the initiation step of RNA interference

Bernstein, E., Caudy, A. A., Hammond, S. M., Hannon, G. J. (2001) Role for a bidentate ribonuclease in the initiation step of RNA interference. Nature, 409 (6818). pp. 363-366. ISSN 00280836 (ISSN)

URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11201747
DOI: 10.1038/35053110

Abstract

RNA interference (RNAi) is the mechanism through which double-stranded RNAs silence cognate genes 1-5. In plants, this can occur at both the transcriptional and the post-transcriptional levels 1,2,5; however, in animals, only post-transcriptional RNAi has been reported to date. In both plants and animals, RNAi is characterized by the presence of RNAs of about 22 nucleotides in length that are homologous to the gene that is being suppressed 6-8. These 22-nucleotide sequences serve as guide sequences that instruct a multicomponent nuclease, RISC, to destroy specific messenger RNAs 6. Here we identify an enzyme, Dicer, which can produce putative guide RNAs. Dicer is a member of the RNase III family of nucleases that specifically cleave double-stranded RNAs, and is evolutionarily conserved in worms, flies, plants, fungi and mammals. The enzyme has a distinctive structure, which includes a helicase domain and dual RNase III motifs. Dicer also contains a region of homology to the RDE1/QDE2/ARGONAUTE family that has been genetically linked to RNAi 9,10.

Item Type: Paper
Uncontrolled Keywords: helicase messenger RNA ribonuclease RNA article Drosophila enzyme activity evolution fungus genetic linkage genetic transcription immunoprecipitation mammal nucleotide sequence plant priority journal sequence homology Animals Cell Line Conserved Sequence Endoribonucleases Gene Silencing Protein Conformation Protein Structure, Tertiary Ribonuclease III RNA, Double-Stranded RNA, Guide Substrate Specificity Transfection Animalia Fungi Mammalia
Subjects: bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing > DNA, RNA structure, function, modification
bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing
bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > design > nucleic acid design > RNAI Design
bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing > DNA, RNA structure, function, modification > RNAi
CSHL Authors:
Communities: CSHL labs > Hannon lab
School of Biological Sciences > Publications
Depositing User: Matt Covey
Date: 2001
Date Deposited: 09 Jan 2013 17:34
Last Modified: 19 Sep 2014 13:48
Related URLs:
URI: https://repository.cshl.edu/id/eprint/26474

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