Project information
The role of Hel1 in function of mammalian Dicer

Dicer is an endoribonuclease protein that plays an essential role in microRNA (miRNA) and RNA silencing (RNAi) pathways. In vertebrates, Dicer predominantly acts in miRNA pathways, whereas RNAi is a rare event, with the exception for oocytes, which express a Dicer isoform lacking the N-terminal Hel1 domain. To reveal the mechanism by which Hel1 influences the Dicer substrate selection and activity, we set out to investigate the substrate selection of Dicer using cryo-electron microscopy.