Structural highlights
Publication Abstract from PubMedPUF (PUmilio/FBF) RNA-binding proteins recognize distinct elements. In C. elegans, PUF-8 binds to an 8-nt motif and restricts proliferation in the germline. Conversely, FBF-2 recognizes a 9-nt element and promotes mitosis. To understand how motif divergence relates to biological function, we first determined a crystal structure of PUF-8. Comparison of this structure to that of FBF-2 revealed a major difference in a central repeat. We devised a modified yeast 3-hybrid screen to identify mutations that confer recognition of an 8-nt element to FBF-2. We identified several such mutants and validated structurally and biochemically their binding to 8-nt RNA elements. Using genome engineering, we generated a mutant animal with a substitution in FBF-2 that confers preferential binding to the PUF-8 element. The mutant largely rescued overproliferation in animals that spontaneously generate tumors in the absence of puf-8. This work highlights the critical role of motif length in the specification of biological function. Engineering a conserved RNA regulatory protein repurposes its biological function in vivo.,Bhat VD, McCann KL, Wang Y, Fonseca DR, Shukla T, Alexander JC, Qiu C, Wickens M, Lo TW, Tanaka Hall TM, Campbell ZT Elife. 2019 Jan 17;8. pii: 43788. doi: 10.7554/eLife.43788. PMID:30652968[1] From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. References
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