Probing RNA sequence specificity and function of PUF proteins

Abstract

PUF proteins, named for Drosophila PUMILIO and C. elegans FBF (fem‐3 binding factor), bind specifically to their mRNA targets and decrease expression by promoting mRNA decay or repressing translation. RNA recognition is critical to direct regulatory machinery to the appropriate target mRNAs. We have used a combination of structural and biochemical methods to examine the sequence specificity of PUF proteins from S. cerevisiae and C. elegans. Such studies have allowed us to appreciate how PUF proteins have been adapted to bind specifically to RNA using conserved and protein‐specific features.