InterPro: IPR002999 Tudor domain

The drosophila tudor protein is encoded by a 'posterior group' gene, which when mutated disrupt normal abdominal segmentation and pole cell formation. Another drosophila gene, homeless, is required for RNA localization during oogenesis. The tudor protein contains multiple repeats of a domain which is also found in homeless [1].

The tudor domain is found in many proteins that colocalise with ribonucleoprotein or single-strand DNA-associated complexes in the nucleus, in the mitochondrial membrane, or at kinetochores. It is not known whether the domain binds directly to RNA and ssDNA, or controls interactions with the nucleoprotein complexes. At least one tudor-containing protein, homeless, also contains a zinc finger typical of RNA-binding proteins [1].

The resolution of the solution structure of the Tudor domain of human SMN revealed that the Tudor domain forms a strongly bent antiparallel beta-sheet with five strands forming a barrel-like fold. The structure exhibits a conserved negatively charged surface that interacts with the C-terminal Arg and Gly-rich tails of the spliceosomal Sm D1 and D3 proteins [2].