Molecular characterization of a rice DEAD-box RNA helicase gene OsBIRH1 and purification of recombinant protein;

DEAD-box RNA helicases are involved in various aspects of RNA metabolism, including RNA transcription, premRNA splicing, ribosome biogenesis, nucleocytoplasmic transport, translation and RNA decay.

The DEAD-box RNA helicases is a big ATP-dependent RNA helicases family, which originates from a wide range of organisms ranging from prokaryotes, including viruses, to eukaryotes such as yeast, plants and animals.

The ATP dependent RNA helicases of the DEAD box family, involved in almost every cellular process of RNA metabolism, play many essential roles during cell development and growth in almost all organisms.

With the strategy of homologue molecular cloning using the sequence of the maleless gene (mle) of Drosophila , the novel homologous human and mouse genes with longer DNA/RNA helicase box (DEAD/DEAH box), named DDX3 6 and Ddx 36 genes, respectively, were cloned as new members of the DEAD/H box superfamily.

DNA helicases in higher plants;

MCM2～7 proteins are related to each other and form hexamer,functioning in the replication as DNA helicases at the initiation step and elongation step,to ensure the DNA precisely duplicated and segregated into two copies.

PDH45 is a DNA helicase from pea, which has been proved to be able to largely enhance the salt tolerance of transgenic tobacoo.