Affinage

SRP68

Signal recognition particle subunit SRP68 · UniProt Q9UHB9

Length
627 aa
Mass
70.7 kDa
Annotated
2026-04-28
35 papers in source corpus 16 papers cited in narrative 16 extracted findings

Mechanistic narrative

Synthesis pass · prose summary of the discoveries below

SRP68 is the central scaffold subunit of the signal recognition particle (SRP) S domain, coupling RNA remodeling to co-translational protein targeting at the endoplasmic reticulum. Its N-terminal tetratricopeptide-like RNA-binding domain grips the three-way junction of SRP RNA helices 5, 6, and 8, inserting an arginine-rich motif that remodels the conserved 5f loop required for ribosome contact, while its C-terminal domain recruits SRP72 through a hydrophobic linear motif–TPR interaction that further stabilizes the RNA scaffold and contributes nanomolar-affinity ribosome binding (PMID:24700861, PMID:27899666, PMID:28369529, PMID:30649417). The extended SRP68/72 dimerization domain also binds RNA and undergoes large-scale translocation upon SRP receptor docking, positioning it to release the Alu domain from the ribosome and terminate elongation arrest (PMID:38366771). Beyond its canonical role in SRP-dependent secretion, SRP68/72 associates with chromatin in a manner inhibited by H4R3 methylation and activates transcription when tethered to a reporter, revealing a non-canonical nuclear regulatory function (PMID:23048028).

Mechanistic history

Synthesis pass · year-by-year structured walk · 15 steps
  1. 1990 Medium

    Molecular cloning of SRP68 revealed it as a 622-amino-acid basic protein with an N-terminal glycine-rich region characteristic of RNA-binding proteins, establishing its primary structure and suggesting RNA-binding capacity.

    Evidence cDNA cloning and sequencing from canine SRP

    PMID:1702390

    Open questions at the time
    • No functional data beyond sequence features
    • Protein domain boundaries not defined
  2. 1992 High

    Quantitative reconstitution established that the SRP68/72 heterodimer binds SRP RNA with ~7 nM affinity in a manner noncooperative with SRP9/14, defining SRP68/72 as an independently assembling S-domain module.

    Evidence Fluorescence anisotropy equilibrium binding with purified SRP components

    PMID:1377027

    Open questions at the time
    • Individual contributions of SRP68 vs SRP72 to RNA binding unknown
    • RNA contacts not mapped
  3. 1993 High

    Domain mapping showed that SRP68 alone binds 7S RNA through its N-terminal half and that SRP72 requires both RNA and SRP68 for assembly, establishing SRP68 as the physical bridge between RNA and SRP72.

    Evidence In vitro reconstitution with deletion constructs and co-immunoprecipitation

    PMID:8388879

    Open questions at the time
    • Precise RNA-binding residues not identified
    • Structural basis of SRP68–SRP72 interaction unknown
  4. 1994 High

    Yeast SRP68 gene disruption produced slow growth and ER translocation defects indistinguishable from loss of other SRP subunits, and destabilized the entire SRP complex, confirming SRP68 is essential for SRP stability and function in vivo.

    Evidence Gene disruption, translocation assays in S. cerevisiae

    PMID:7925282

    Open questions at the time
    • Mechanism of SRP destabilization upon SRP68 loss not resolved
    • No mammalian loss-of-function data
  5. 2000 High

    Live-cell imaging revealed SRP68 in the nucleolus and cytoplasm as well as the ER, suggesting that SRP assembly or an additional SRP68 activity occurs in the nucleolus.

    Evidence GFP fusion transfection and fluorescence microscopy in rat fibroblasts

    PMID:10618370

    Open questions at the time
    • Function of nucleolar SRP68 not determined
    • Whether nucleolar pool reflects SRP assembly vs. moonlighting unclear
  6. 2006 High

    Fine mapping of SRP68 RNA-binding (residues 52–252) and SRP72-binding (C-terminal ~94 aa) domains, combined with RNA chemical probing showing SRP68/72-induced rearrangement of helices 6 and 8 into an SRP54-binding-competent state, established how SRP68/72 remodels the S-domain RNA.

    Evidence Recombinant domain mapping, chemical and hydroxyl radical footprinting of SRP assembly intermediates

    PMID:16672232 PMID:17254600

    Open questions at the time
    • Atomic-resolution structure of SRP68–RNA complex lacking
    • Mechanism of RNA remodeling not explained at residue level
  7. 2007 High

    Systematic RNA mutagenesis identified specific SRP68/72 contacts throughout helices 5 and 8 and showed helix 8 is dominant for binding, while SRP72 alone contacts the 5ef region, delineating the distinct RNA footprints of each subunit.

    Evidence Systematic SRP RNA helix deletions with competitive double-filter binding assay

    PMID:18347438

    Open questions at the time
    • No structural explanation for anti-cooperativity with SRP19
    • Ribosome-contact surfaces not yet identified
  8. 2008 High

    Quantitative cooperativity analysis showed SRP19 and SRP68/72 bind opposite faces of helices 6/8 in an anti-cooperative manner by stabilizing distinct RNA conformations, explaining ordered S-domain assembly.

    Evidence SHAPE probing and quantitative RNA–protein binding assays

    PMID:18564060

    Open questions at the time
    • No structural visualization of the two competing conformations
  9. 2012 High

    Discovery that the SRP68/72 heterodimer binds histone H4 tails, associates with chromatin genome-wide, and activates transcription revealed a non-canonical nuclear function regulated by PRMT1/5-mediated H4R3 methylation.

    Evidence Histone peptide pulldown, ChIP, chromatin fractionation, transcription reporter assay

    PMID:23048028

    Open questions at the time
    • Target genes and physiological significance of transcriptional activation unknown
    • Whether chromatin function is separable from SRP function in vivo not tested
  10. 2014 High

    The crystal structure of the SRP68 RNA-binding domain alone and in complex with SRP RNA/SRP19 revealed a TPR-like fold that binds the RNA three-way junction and inserts an α-helical arginine-rich motif into the major groove to open the 5f loop for ribosome contact, providing the atomic mechanism of RNA remodeling.

    Evidence X-ray crystallography with functional mutagenesis

    PMID:24700861

    Open questions at the time
    • Full-length SRP68 structure and its conformational dynamics unknown
    • How 5f loop opening facilitates ribosome binding not structurally resolved
  11. 2016 High

    Crystal structure of SRP72-RBD on the assembled S domain showed SRP72 as a flexible peptide that remodels the 5e/5f loops via a tryptophan-mediated K+-turn kink, and cryo-EM docking identified multiple SRP68/72–ribosome contact sites.

    Evidence X-ray crystallography, cryo-EM docking, mutagenesis

    PMID:27899666

    Open questions at the time
    • Full ribosome-bound SRP structure at high resolution not available
  12. 2017 High

    High-resolution crystal structures of apo-SRP72 and the SRP68/72 complex showed that a 23-residue SRP68 peptide binds an unusually hydrophobic TPR surface of SRP72, requiring SRP72 homodimer dissociation; cancer-associated mutations disrupt this interface.

    Evidence X-ray crystallography (1.7 Å complex), biophysical assays, mutagenesis, cell imaging

    PMID:28369529

    Open questions at the time
    • Functional impact of cancer mutations on SRP-dependent targeting not characterized in vivo
  13. 2017 Medium

    Post-transcriptional regulation of SRP68 by CELF1-mediated mRNA destabilization was shown to be critical for maintaining SRP subunit stoichiometry; SRP68 overexpression alone impaired secretion and wound healing.

    Evidence RNA immunoprecipitation, mRNA half-life assays, overexpression with secretion and wound-healing readouts in myoblasts

    PMID:28129347

    Open questions at the time
    • Single-lab observation; independent replication not reported
    • Mechanism by which SRP68 excess causes subunit imbalance not clear
  14. 2019 High

    Fully reconstituted human SRP showed that SRP68/72 alone binds ribosomes with nanomolar affinity via multiple sites dominated by SRP72's C-terminus, while intact SRP engages ribosomes through a two-step mechanism centered on SRP54.

    Evidence Large-scale recombinant reconstitution of all human SRP components, microscale thermophoresis

    PMID:30649417

    Open questions at the time
    • Structural basis of SRP68/72 ribosome contacts at atomic resolution not resolved
  15. 2024 High

    Cryo-EM of full-length SRP68/72 revealed an extended dimerization domain that binds RNA and undergoes large-scale translocation upon SRP receptor docking, positioning it to release the Alu domain from the ribosome and terminate elongation arrest.

    Evidence Cryo-EM structure of full-length SRP68/72, comparative structural analysis

    PMID:38366771

    Open questions at the time
    • Translocation model based on comparative analysis, not direct time-resolved observation
    • No direct demonstration that dimerization domain contacts the Alu domain during release

Open questions

Synthesis pass · forward-looking unresolved questions
  • Key unresolved questions include the physiological role and target genes of SRP68/72's chromatin-associated transcriptional activity, a high-resolution structure of the complete ribosome-bound SRP showing all SRP68/72 contacts, and direct experimental demonstration of the proposed dimerization-domain translocation during SRP receptor engagement.
  • No in vivo separation-of-function between SRP targeting and chromatin roles
  • No time-resolved structural data on SRP68/72 conformational changes during targeting cycle
  • Mammalian loss-of-function phenotype not characterized

Mechanism profile

Synthesis pass · controlled-vocabulary classification · explore literature graph →
Molecular activity
GO:0003723 RNA binding 7 GO:0005198 structural molecule activity 4 GO:0042393 histone binding 1 GO:0140110 transcription regulator activity 1
Localization
GO:0005783 endoplasmic reticulum 2 GO:0005694 chromosome 1 GO:0005730 nucleolus 1 GO:0005829 cytosol 1
Pathway
R-HSA-392499 Metabolism of proteins 4 R-HSA-9609507 Protein localization 4
Complex memberships
SRP (signal recognition particle)SRP68/72 heterodimer

Evidence

Reading pass · 16 per-paper findings extracted from the source corpus
Year Finding Method Journal Conf PMIDs
1990 SRP68 is a basic protein of 622 amino acids with a glycine-rich region near the amino terminus shared with certain RNA-binding proteins; it was cloned and sequenced from canine SRP. cDNA cloning and sequencing FEBS letters Medium 1702390
1992 SRP68/72 heterodimer binds directly and specifically to SRP RNA with a Kd of ~7 nM; binding increases fluorescein anisotropy but does not alter emission intensity, and binding of SRP68/72 and SRP9/14 heterodimers to SRP RNA is noncooperative in the absence of SRP54 and SRP19. Fluorescence spectroscopy, equilibrium binding assays with purified SRP components Biochemistry High 1377027
1993 SRP68 alone binds specifically to 7S RNA via its N-terminal half; SRP72 assembly into the ribonucleoprotein requires both 7S RNA and SRP68; the C-terminal portions of SRP68 and SRP72 contact each other; SRP68 thus serves as a physical link between 7S RNA and SRP72. In vitro reconstitution, domain mapping with deletion constructs, co-immunoprecipitation The Journal of cell biology High 8388879
1994 Disruption of yeast SRP68 (Srp68p) gene causes slow cell growth and inefficient protein translocation across the ER membrane, phenotypically indistinguishable from loss of other SRP components; loss of Srp68p also reduces levels of scR1 RNA and other SRP proteins, indicating it is required for stable SRP expression. Gene disruption, genetic epistasis, translocation assays in Saccharomyces cerevisiae The EMBO journal High 7925282
2000 GFP fusions of SRP68 localize to the nucleolus as well as the cytoplasm; SRP68 also accumulates at the ER, consistent with its affinity for the ER-bound SRP receptor; suggesting partial SRP assembly or another SRP68 activity occurs at the nucleolus. GFP transfection, live-cell fluorescence microscopy, immunofluorescence in rat fibroblasts Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America High 10618370
2006 The RNA-binding domain of human SRP68 maps to residues 52–252, and the SRP72-binding domain maps to ~94 amino acids near the C-terminus of SRP68; the SRP68-SRP72 interaction is salt-stable and engages ~150 amino acids from the N-terminal region of SRP72 (within predicted TPR-like motifs). Recombinant protein expression, proteolytic fragmentation, in vitro binding assays (pulldown, filter assay) Protein science High 16672232
2006 SRP68/72 binding protects the SRP54 binding site (helix 8 asymmetric loop) from chemical modification, and together with SRP19 rearranges the 7SL RNA into an SRP54-binding-competent state; SRP68/72 brings the lower parts of helices 6 and 8 closer together as shown by hydroxyl radical footprinting and DMS modification. Chemical probing (ethylation interference, DMS modification), hydroxyl radical footprinting, enzymatic probing of SRP assembly intermediates Journal of molecular biology High 17254600
2007 SRP68/72 contacts RNA residues throughout the large SRP domain including helix 5 (residues 222–231) and helix 8 (residues 176–191 and 202–214); SRP72 alone contacts mainly the 5ef region of helix 5; deleting helix 8 impairs SRP68/72 binding more than deleting helix 6. Systematic mutagenesis of SRP RNA helices, competitive double-filter binding assay with purified SRP68/72 and SRP72 fragment RNA biology High 18347438
2008 SRP19 and SRP68/72 both bind directly and specifically to helices 6 and 8 of SRP RNA but on opposite faces and ends; their binding is moderately anti-cooperative, arising from stabilization of distinct conformations in the intervening RNA scaffold; SRP72 enhances SRP68 affinity for RNA via largely non-specific electrostatic interactions. Quantitative RNA-protein binding assays, SHAPE/chemical probing, anti-cooperativity analysis The Biochemical journal High 18564060
2012 SRP68/72 heterodimer (but not intact SRP) binds histone H4 tail peptides in vitro and associates with chromatin in vivo; this binding is inhibited by PRMT5/PRMT1-mediated H4R3 methylation; both SRP68 and SRP72 activate transcription when tethered to a reporter, revealing a non-canonical chromatin/transcriptional regulatory function. Proteomic pulldown with histone peptides, ChIP, chromatin fractionation, transcription reporter assays, genome-wide occupancy analysis The Journal of biological chemistry High 23048028
2014 Crystal structure of SRP68 RNA-binding domain (SRP68-RBD) alone and in complex with SRP RNA and SRP19 reveals SRP68-RBD is a tetratricopeptide-like module that binds the RNA three-way junction (helices 5, 6, 8), bends the RNA, and inserts an α-helical arginine-rich motif (ARM) into the major groove; the ARM opens the conserved 5f RNA loop, which contacts ribosomal RNA in ribosome-bound SRP. X-ray crystallography (crystal structures of apo SRP68-RBD and SRP68-RBD/SRP RNA/SRP19 complex), functional mutagenesis Science High 24700861
2016 Crystal structure of SRP72-RBD bound to the SRP S domain (SRP RNA + SRP19 + SRP68) shows SRP72-RBD is a flexible peptide crawling along the 5e- and 5f-loops; a conserved tryptophan inserts into the 5e-loop forming a novel K+-turn RNA kink; SRP72-RBD remodels the 5f-loop involved in ribosome binding; cryo-EM docking reveals multiple contact sites of SRP68/72 with the ribosome. X-ray crystallography, cryo-EM docking, mutagenesis Nucleic acids research High 27899666
2017 Crystal structures of human apo-SRP72 and the SRP68/72 complex reveal that SRP72's SRP68-binding domain contains four atypical TPR repeats and a flexible C-terminal cap; apo-SRP72 exists as a homodimer in solution; binding of SRP68 requires SRP72 homodimer dissociation and a conformational change of the C-terminal cap; a 23-residue polypeptide of SRP68 is sufficient for tight binding to SRP72 via an unusually hydrophobic extended surface; cancer-associated mutations disrupt SRP68-SRP72 interaction and their co-localization with ER. X-ray crystallography (2.91 Å apo-SRP72, 1.7 Å SRP68/72 complex), biophysical assays, site-directed mutagenesis, cell imaging Journal of molecular cell biology High 28369529
2019 Reconstituted human SRP68/72 exhibits ultrasensitive (nanomolar) binding to human ribosomes with avidity from multiple binding sites dominated by the C-terminus of SRP72; SRP RNA alone does not bind the ribosome; intact SRP binds ribosomes with nanomolar affinity via a two-step mechanism centered on SRP54. Large-scale recombinant reconstitution of all human SRP components, microscale thermophoresis binding assays Nucleic acids research High 30649417
2017 CELF1 directly binds SRP68 mRNA and destabilizes it; overexpression of SRP68 alone is sufficient to cause SRP subunit imbalance, impair secretion, and disrupt wound healing in myoblasts, demonstrating that stoichiometric control of SRP68 is critical for SRP function in secretion. RNA immunoprecipitation, in vitro binding assays, mRNA half-life measurement, overexpression with functional readouts (secretion assay, wound healing) PloS one Medium 28129347
2024 Cryo-EM structure of full-length SRP68/72 reveals an extended dimerization domain that is both a protein- and RNA-binding domain; SRP68 and SRP72 depend on each other for stability; comparative structural analysis suggests the dimerization domain undergoes large-scale translocation upon SRP docking onto SRP receptor, positioning it to bind and release the Alu domain (SRP9/14) from the ribosomal surface to terminate elongation arrest. Cryo-EM structure of full-length SRP68/72, comparative structural analysis with existing models Nucleic acids research High 38366771

Source papers

Stage 0 corpus · 35 papers · ranked by NIH iCite citations
Year Title Journal Citations PMID
2000 Signal recognition particle components in the nucleolus. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 167 10618370
1994 Subunits of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae signal recognition particle required for its functional expression. The EMBO journal 104 7925282
2003 SRPDB: Signal Recognition Particle Database. Nucleic acids research 94 12520023
2006 The tmRDB and SRPDB resources. Nucleic acids research 88 16381838
2002 Structure of the SRP19 RNA complex and implications for signal recognition particle assembly. Nature 83 12050674
1994 Molecular evolution of SRP cycle components: functional implications. Nucleic acids research 74 7518075
2011 Targeting surface nucleolin with multivalent HB-19 and related Nucant pseudopeptides results in distinct inhibitory mechanisms depending on the malignant tumor cell type. BMC cancer 53 21812966
2014 Plasmodium falciparum signal recognition particle components and anti-parasitic effect of ivermectin in blocking nucleo-cytoplasmic shuttling of SRP. Cell death & disease 49 24434517
2001 SRPDB (Signal Recognition Particle Database). Nucleic acids research 47 11125080
1997 The crystal structure of the signal recognition particle Alu RNA binding heterodimer, SRP9/14. The EMBO journal 46 9233785
1993 Assembly of the 68- and 72-kD proteins of signal recognition particle with 7S RNA. The Journal of cell biology 43 8388879
2014 SRP RNA remodeling by SRP68 explains its role in protein translocation. Science (New York, N.Y.) 38 24700861
2005 The Trypanosoma brucei signal recognition particle lacks the Alu-domain-binding proteins: purification and functional analysis of its binding proteins by RNAi. Journal of cell science 35 16179612
1998 The Signal Recognition Particle Database (SRPDB). Nucleic acids research 35 9399828
2006 Protein-induced conformational changes of RNA during the assembly of human signal recognition particle. Journal of molecular biology 34 17254600
1992 Fluorescence-detected assembly of the signal recognition particle: binding of the two SRP protein heterodimers to SRP RNA is noncooperative. Biochemistry 31 1377027
2008 Role of protein translocation pathways across the endoplasmic reticulum in Trypanosoma brucei. The Journal of biological chemistry 30 18768469
2015 Differentially expressed genes in metastatic advanced Egyptian bladder cancer. Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention : APJCP 29 25921176
2019 Reconstitution of the human SRP system and quantitative and systematic analysis of its ribosome interactions. Nucleic acids research 28 30649417
2016 Structures of human SRP72 complexes provide insights into SRP RNA remodeling and ribosome interaction. Nucleic acids research 28 27899666
1990 The 68 kDa protein of signal recognition particle contains a glycine-rich region also found in certain RNA-binding proteins. FEBS letters 26 1702390
2021 Noncanonical Functions and Cellular Dynamics of the Mammalian Signal Recognition Particle Components. Frontiers in molecular biosciences 20 34113652
2020 Transcriptome-based selection and validation of optimal house-keeping genes for skin research in goats (Capra hircus). BMC genomics 18 32682387
2006 Protein SRP68 of human signal recognition particle: identification of the RNA and SRP72 binding domains. Protein science : a publication of the Protein Society 17 16672232
1996 The Signal Recognition Particle Database (SRPDB). Nucleic acids research 17 8594607
2017 Human apo-SRP72 and SRP68/72 complex structures reveal the molecular basis of protein translocation. Journal of molecular cell biology 16 28369529
2012 A novel histone H4 arginine 3 methylation-sensitive histone H4 binding activity and transcriptional regulatory function for signal recognition particle subunits SRP68 and SRP72. The Journal of biological chemistry 16 23048028
2007 Down-regulation of the trypanosomatid signal recognition particle affects the biogenesis of polytopic membrane proteins but not of signal peptide-containing proteins. Eukaryotic cell 16 17715370
1997 The Signal Recognition Particle Database (SRPDB). Nucleic acids research 12 9016514
2017 The CELF1 RNA-Binding Protein Regulates Decay of Signal Recognition Particle mRNAs and Limits Secretion in Mouse Myoblasts. PloS one 11 28129347
2007 Identification of the RNA binding regions of SRP68/72 and SRP72 by systematic mutagenesis of human SRP RNA. RNA biology 9 18347438
1994 The signal recognition particle database (SRPDB). Nucleic acids research 6 7524020
2008 Anti-cooperative assembly of the SRP19 and SRP68/72 components of the signal recognition particle. The Biochemical journal 5 18564060
2021 Mycoplasma genitalium Protein of Adhesion Promotes the Early Proliferation of Human Urothelial Cells by Interacting with RPL35. Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) 4 34832605
2024 Cryo-EM structure of SRP68/72 reveals an extended dimerization domain with RNA-binding activity. Nucleic acids research 2 38366771