Heterogeneous Nuclear Ribonucleoprotein U (HNRPU)

Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein U is a protein belongs to the subfamily of ubiquitously expressed heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins (hnRNPs). The protein encoded by this gene contains a RNA binding domain and scaffold-associated region (SAR)-specific bipartite DNA-binding domain. This protein is also thought to be involved in the packaging of hnRNA into large ribonucleoprotein complexes. During apoptosis, this protein is cleaved in a caspase-dependent way. Cleavage occurs at the SALD site, resulting in a loss of DNA-binding activity and a concomitant detachment of this protein from nuclear structural sites. But this cleavage does not affect the function of the encoded protein in RNA metabolism. At least two alternatively spliced transcript variants have been identified for this gene.