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Engineering RNA ‐binding proteins for biology
Author(s) -
Chen Yu,
Varani Gabriele
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
the febs journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.981
H-Index - 204
eISSN - 1742-4658
pISSN - 1742-464X
DOI - 10.1111/febs.12375
Subject(s) - computational biology , rna , rna binding protein , biology , effector , riboswitch , non coding rna , microbiology and biotechnology , genetics , gene
RNA ‐binding proteins play essential roles in the regulation of gene expression. Many have modular structures and combine relatively few common domains in various arrangements to recognize RNA sequences and/or structures. Recent progress in engineering the specificity of the PUF class RNA ‐binding proteins has shown that RNA ‐binding domains may be combined with various effector or functional domains to regulate the metabolism of targeted RNA s. Designer RNA ‐binding proteins with tailored sequence specificity will provide valuable tools for biochemical research as well as potential therapeutic applications. In this review, we discuss the suitability of various RNA ‐binding domains for engineering RNA ‐binding specificity, based on the structural basis for their recognition. We also compare various protein engineering and design methods applied to RNA ‐binding proteins, and discuss future applications of these proteins.