Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 11, 2026

Protein Extract Preparation and Co-immunoprecipitation from Caenorhabditis elegans
Published on: May 23, 2020
A conserved motif in Argonaute-interacting proteins mediates functional interactions through the Argonaute PIWI
Susanne Till1, Erwan Lejeune, Rolf Thermann
1European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Meyerhofstrasse 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany.
Abstract:
Argonaute (Ago) proteins mediate silencing of nucleic acid targets by small RNAs. In fission yeast, Ago1, Tas3 and Chp1 assemble into a RITS complex, which silences transcription near centromeres. Here we describe a repetitive motif within Tas3, termed the 'Argonaute hook', that is conserved from yeast to humans and binds Ago proteins through their PIWI domains in vitro and in vivo. Site-directed mutation of key residues in the motif disrupts Ago binding and heterochromatic silencing in vivo. Unexpectedly, a PIWI domain pocket that binds the 5' end of the short interfering RNA guide strand is required for direct binding of the Ago hook. Moreover, wild-type but not mutant Ago hook peptides derepress microRNA-mediated translational silencing of a target messenger RNA. Proteins containing the conserved Ago hook may thus be important regulatory components of effector complexes in RNA interference.
More Related Videos
07:08Optimization of Synthetic Proteins: Identification of Interpositional Dependencies Indicating Structurally and/or Functionally Linked Residues
Published on: July 14, 2015
08:56In Situ Detection of Ribonucleoprotein Complex Assembly in the C. elegans Germline using Proximity Ligation Assay
Published on: May 5, 2020
Related Concept Videos
Conservation of Protein Domains Over Different Proteins
A limited set of protein domains often duplicate and recombine during evolution. These domains can be organized in different combinations to form...
piRNA - Piwi-interacting RNAs
Conserved Binding Sites
Binding sites are often located in large pockets, and if their location on a protein’s surface is unknown, it can be predicted using various approaches. The energetic method computationally analyses the...
Conserved Binding Sites
Binding sites are often located in large pockets, and if their location on a protein’s surface is unknown, it can be predicted using various approaches. The energetic method computationally analyses the...
RNA Interference
This process occurs naturally in cells, often through the activity of genomically-encoded microRNAs. Researchers can take advantage of this mechanism by introducing synthetic RNAs to deactivate specific genes for research or therapeutic purposes. For example, RNAi could be used...
RNA Interference
This process occurs naturally in cells, often through the activity of genomically-encoded microRNAs. Researchers can take advantage of this mechanism by introducing synthetic RNAs to deactivate specific genes for research or therapeutic purposes. For example, RNAi could be used...