N. meningitidis 1681 is a member of the FinO family of RNA chaperones.

ABSTRACT: The conjugative transfer of F-like plasmids between bacteria is regulated by the plasmid-encoded RNA chaperone, FinO, which facilitates sense - antisense RNA interactions to regulate plasmid gene expression. FinO was thought to adopt a unique structure, however many putative homologs have been identified in microbial genomes and are considered members of the FinO_conjugation_repressor superfamily. We were interested in determining whether other members were also able to bind RNA and promote duplex formation, suggesting that this motif does indeed identify a putative RNA chaperone. We determined the crystal structure of the N. meningitidis MC58 protein NMB1681. It revealed striking similarity to FinO, with a conserved fold and a large, positively charged surface that could function in RNA i

SUBMITTER: Chaulk S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3073339 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Nov-Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature