Biochemical Differences and Similarities between the DEAD-Box Helicase Orthologs DDX3X and Ded1p.

ABSTRACT: DDX3X is a conserved DEAD-box RNA helicase involved in translation initiation and other processes of RNA metabolism. Mutations in human DDX3X and deregulation of its expression are linked to tumorigenesis and intellectual disability. The protein is also targeted by diverse viruses. Previous studies demonstrated helicase and NTPase activities for DDX3X, but important biochemical features of the enzyme remain unclear. Here, we systematically characterize enzymatic activities of human DDX3X and compare these to its closely related Saccharomyces cerevisiae ortholog Ded1p. We show that DDX3X, like Ded1p, utilizes exclusively adenosine triphosphates to unwind helices, oligomerizes to function as efficient RNA helicase, and does not unwind DNA duplexes. The ATPase activity of DDX3X is markedly st

SUBMITTER: Sharma D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5693625 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature