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Updated: Aug 19, 2026

Studying RNA Interactors of Protein Kinase RNA-Activated during the Mammalian Cell Cycle
Published on: March 5, 2019
Two helices plus a linker: a small model substrate for eukaryotic RNase P
G Carrara1, P Calandra, P Fruscoloni
1Istituto di Biologia Cellulare, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Rome, Italy.
Abstract:
Using precursor tRNA molecules to study RNA-protein interactions, we have identified an RNA motif recognized by eukaryotic RNase P (EC 3.1.26.5). Analysis of circularly permuted precursors indicates that interruptions in the sugar-phosphate backbone are not tolerated in the acceptor stem, in the T stem-loop, or between residues A-9 and G-10. Prokaryotic RNase P will function with a minihelix consisting of the acceptor stem connected directly to the T stem-loop. Eukaryotic RNase P cannot use such a minimal substrate unless a linker sequence is added in the gap where the D stem and anticodon stem-loop were deleted.
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