Structural biology of RNA silencing

CARB 39

Dinshaw J Patel, pateld@mskcc.org, Cellular Biochemistry & Biophysics Program, Memorial Sloan-Kattering Cancer Center, 1275 York Avenue, New York, NY 10021
During this presentation, our laboratory's ongoing structural studies of protein-RNA complexes associated with recognition events along the siRNA and miRNA pathways will be discussed. Specifically, the contributions of structure-function to protein-RNA recognition events that monitor siRNA length, 5' phosphate, sugar-phosphate backbone, and two-nucleotide 3'-overhangs will be described. The architecture of the cleaving enzyme Argonaute (Ago), its externally bound siRNA complex, and Argonaute-based models involving guide-strand-mediated mRNA binding, cleavage, and release will also be discussed.