| Chapter title |
The mechanism of RNase III action: how dicer dices.
|
|---|---|
| Chapter number | 5 |
| Book title |
RNA Interference
|
| Published in |
Current topics in microbiology and immunology, December 2007
|
| DOI | 10.1007/978-3-540-75157-1_5 |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Book ISBNs |
978-3-54-075156-4, 978-3-54-075157-1
|
| Authors |
Ji X, Xinhua Ji, Ji, Xinhua |
| Abstract |
Members of the Ribonuclease III (RNase III) family are double-stranded (ds) RNA-specific endoribonucleases, characterized by a signature motif in their active centers and a 2-nucleotide (nt) 3' overhang in their products. Dicer functions as a dsRNA-processing enzyme, producing small interfering RNA (siRNA) of approx. 24 nt in length (approx. 20-basepair RNA duplex with a 2-nt 3' overhang on each end). Bacterial RNase III functions not only as a processing enzyme, but also as a binding protein that binds dsRNA without cleaving it. As a processing enzyme it produces siRNA-like RNA of approx. 13 nt in length (approx. 9-basepair duplex with a 2-nt 3' overhang on each end) as well as various types of mature RNA. Dicer is structurally most complicated member of the family; bacterial RNase III is comparatively much simpler. One structure is known for Dicer in its RNA-free form (MacRae, Zhou, Li, Repic, Brooks, Cande, Adams, and Doudna, Science 311:195-198); many structures are available for bacterial RNase III, including the first catalytic complex of the entire family (Gan, Tropea, Austin, Court, Waugh, and Ji, Cell 124:355-366). In light of the structural and biochemical information on the RNase III proteins and the structure of a non-Dicer PAZ (Piwi Argonaute Zwille) domain in complex with a 7-basepair RNA duplex with a 2-nt 3' overhang on each end (Ma, Ye, and Patel, Nature 429:318-322), the structure and function of Dicer is being elucidated. |
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| Germany | 1 | 1% |
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| Unknown | 85 | 91% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 23 | 25% |
| Researcher | 18 | 19% |
| Student > Bachelor | 10 | 11% |
| Student > Postgraduate | 6 | 6% |
| Student > Master | 6 | 6% |
| Other | 13 | 14% |
| Unknown | 17 | 18% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
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| Physics and Astronomy | 4 | 4% |
| Chemistry | 3 | 3% |
| Other | 6 | 6% |
| Unknown | 16 | 17% |