N-Alpha-Acetyltransferase 38 (NAA38)

NAA38 encodes a member of the like-Sm family of proteins. The encoded protein consists of a closed barrel shape, made up of five anti-parallel beta strands and an alpha helix. This protein partners with six paralogs to form a heteroheptameric ring which transiently binds U6 small nuclear RNAs and is involved in the general maturation of RNA in the nucleus.purified LSm proteins form a heteromer that is stable even in the absence of RNA and exhibits a doughnut-shaped structure similar to the Sm core RNP structure. The purified LSm heteromer binds specifically to the U6 snRNA at its 3-prime-terminal U-tract. They also showed that the LSm proteins facilitate the formation of U4/U6 RNA duplexes in vitro and concluded that the LSm proteins may play a role in U4/U6 snRNP formation.