Double-stranded RNA adenosine deaminase as a potential mammalian RNA editing factor

Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) adenosine deaminase, or DRADA, is a cellular enzyme that modifies adenosine residues to inosines in dsRNA by hydrolytic deamination, replacing A-U with mismatched I-U base pairs. Since it alters the base composition in its substrate RNA, one possible role played by DRADA is to participate in RNA editing. In this article, a brief review is given of characteristics of DRADA. Its possible involvement in RNA editing is also discussed in detail, including specific cases in which DRADA has been implicated as an RNA editing factor.