Structure of angiogenin dimer bound to double-stranded RNA

Authors

Sievers K, Ficner R

Journal

Acta Crystallographica Section F-Structural Biology Communications

Citation

Acta Crystallogr F Struct Biol Commun. 2022 Sep 1;78(Pt 9):330-337.

Abstract

Angiogenin is an unusual member of the RNase A family and is of great interest in multiple pathological contexts. Although it has been assigned various regulatory roles, its core catalytic function is that of an RNA endonuclease. However, its catalytic efficiency is comparatively low and this has been linked to a unique C-terminal helix which partially blocks its RNA-binding site. Assuming that binding to its RNA substrate could trigger a conformational rearrangement, much speculation has arisen on the topic of the interaction of angiogenin with RNA. To date, no structural data on angiogenin-RNA interactions have been available. Here, the structure of angiogenin bound to a double-stranded RNA duplex is reported. The RNA does not reach the active site of angiogenin and no structural arrangement of the C-terminal domain is observed. However, angiogenin forms a previously unobserved crystallographic dimer that makes several backbone interactions with the major and minor grooves of the RNA double helix.

DOI

10.1107/S2053230X22008317
 
Pubmed Link