Multimerization of ELAV in Drosophila is essential for directing neuronal alternative splicing and polyadenylation programs.
Multimerization of ELAV in Drosophila is crucial for neuronal gene regulation, with mutants unable to multimerize leading to embryonic lethality.
- Why it matters: Understanding how ELAV/Hu RBPs achieve gene-specific regulation is vital because they control essential neuronal splicing and polyadenylation, yet the mechanisms remain unclear.
- What they did: The study used X-ray crystallography to identify conserved interfaces mediating ELAV multimerization and performed mutational analysis in Drosophila neurons, revealing the importance of multimerization for function.
- The result: Multimerization is necessary for directing neuronal splicing and polyadenylation programs at specific target genes, providing insights into how ELAV/Hu proteins selectively regulate gene expression.