Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, Hong Kong, China.
Nat Commun. 2024 Oct 18;15(1):8989. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-53322-1.
Our research elucidates the cleavage processes of the RNase III enzyme, DICER, which plays a crucial role in the production of small RNAs, such as microRNAs (miRNAs) and small interfering RNAs (siRNAs). Utilizing high-throughput dicing assays, we expose the bipartite pairing rule that dictates the cleavage sites of DICER. Furthermore, we decode the intricate recognition mechanism of the primary YCR motif and identify an analogous secondary YCR motif that influences DICER's cleavage choices. Collectively, our findings clarify the bipartite pairing rule and enhance our understanding of the role of RNA motifs in modulating DICER's cleavage activity, laying the groundwork for future research on their roles in miRNA biogenesis and gene regulation.
我们的研究阐明了 RNase III 酶 DICER 的切割过程，该酶在小 RNA（如 microRNAs (miRNAs) 和 small interfering RNAs (siRNAs)）的产生中起着关键作用。利用高通量切割测定法，我们揭示了决定 DICER 切割位点的二分配对规则。此外，我们解码了初级 YCR 基序的复杂识别机制，并确定了影响 DICER 切割选择的类似次级 YCR 基序。总的来说，我们的研究结果阐明了二分配对规则，并增强了我们对 RNA 基序在调节 DICER 切割活性中的作用的理解，为它们在 miRNA 生物发生和基因调控中的作用的进一步研究奠定了基础。
