Attempts to analyze the RNA-binding specificity of the C. elegans RNP-8 protein

Abstract

Cytoplasmic polyadenylation is a key mechanism of gene regulation in all eukaryotes. The C. elegans GLD-2 protein provides the catalytic activity for a cytoplasmic poly(A) polymerase, but GLD-2 must partner with another protein that provides RNA-binding activity to produce a fully functional enzyme. One such GLD-2 binding partner is RNP-8, which contains an RNA recognition motif. Here, we explored the RNA-binding specificity of RNP-8. Using the yeast-three hybrid system, we identified 34 unique RNA sequences that were bound by RNP-8, but we could not identify a consensus sequence among the 34 sequences. Therefore, RNP-I protein may lack sequence specificity when binding to RNA.