Bioinformatics and Biology Insights 
Bioinformatics and Biology Insights is an open access, peer-reviewed journal that considers articles on computational methods used in the analysis and annotation of structures, in addition to other areas of computational biology and the broader field of biology.
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Identification of the RGG Box Motif in Shadoo: RNA-Binding and Signaling Roles?
Susan M. Corley and Jill E. Gready
Computational Proteomics and Therapy Design Group, Division of Molecular Bioscience, John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National University, PO Box 334, Canberra ACT 2601 Australia.
Abstract
Using comparative genomics and in-silico analyses, we previously identified a new member of the prion-protein (PrP) family, the gene SPRN, encoding the protein Shadoo (Sho), and suggested its functions might overlap with those of PrP. Extended bioinformatics and conceptual biology studies to elucidate Sho’s functions now reveal Sho has a conserved RGG-box motif, a well-known RNA-binding motif characterized in proteins such as FragileX Mental Retardation Protein. We report a systematic comparative analysis of RGG-box containing proteins which highlights the motif’s functional versatility and supports the suggestion that Sho plays a dual role in cell signaling and RNA binding in brain. These findings provide a further link to PrP, which has well-characterized RNA-binding properties.
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