RNA recognition motif (RRM) found in heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein G (hnRNP G), Y chromosome RNA recognition motif 1 (hRBMY), testis-specific heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein G-T (hnRNP G-T) and similar proteins
This subfamily corresponds to the RRM domain of hnRNP G, also termed glycoprotein p43 or RBMX, an RNA-binding motif protein located on the X chromosome. It is expressed ubiquitously and has been implicated in the splicing control of several pre-mRNAs. Moreover, hnRNP G may function as a regulator of transcription for SREBP-1c and GnRH1. Research has shown that hnRNP G may also act as a tumor-suppressor since it upregulates the Txnip gene and promotes the fidelity of DNA end-joining activity. In addition, hnRNP G appears to play a critical role in proper neural development of zebrafish and frog embryos. The family also includes several paralogs of hnRNP G, such as hRBMY and hnRNP G-T (also termed RNA-binding motif protein, X-linked-like-2). Both, hRBMY and hnRNP G-T, are exclusively expressed in testis and critical for male fertility. Like hnRNP G, hRBMY and hnRNP G-T interact with factors implicated in the regulation of pre-mRNA splicing, such as hTra2-beta1 and T-STAR. Although members in this family share a high conserved N-terminal RNA recognition motif (RRM), also termed RBD (RNA binding domain) or RNP (ribonucleoprotein domain), they appear to recognize different RNA targets. For instance, hRBMY interacts specifically with a stem-loop structure in which the loop is formed by the sequence CA/UCAA. In contrast, hnRNP G associates with single stranded RNA sequences containing a CCA/C motif. In addition to the RRM, hnRNP G contains a nascent transcripts targeting domain (NTD) in the middle region and a novel auxiliary RNA-binding domain (RBD) in its C-terminal region. The C-terminal RBD exhibits distinct RNA binding specificity, and would play a critical role in the regulation of alternative splicing by hnRNP G.