Exosome complex facts for kids
The exosome complex is a protein complex which can degrade RNA strands (~stop them working). In eukaryotic cells, the exosome complex is present in the cytoplasm, nucleus, and especially the nucleolus.
The core of the complex has a ring structure consisting of six proteins that all belong to the same class of RNases, the 'RNase PH-like proteins'.
Exosome complexes are found in both eukaryotic cells and archaea. In bacteria a simpler complex called the degradosome carries out similar functions.
Images for kids
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Top and side view of the crystal structure of the human exosome complex. See the full legend below.
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Subunits and organisation of the archaeal (left) and eukaryotic (right) exosome complexes. Different proteins are numbered, showing that the archaeal exosome contains 4 different proteins, but the eukaryotic exosome contains nine different proteins. See the full legend below.
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Reaction diagrams for both hydrolytic (left) and phosphorolytic (right) 3' end degradation of RNA.
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Schematic view of the archaeal (left) and eukaryotic (right) exosome complexes with the most common associated proteins. In color and marked with a star are the subunits of each complex that have catalytic activity. See below for a full legend.
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Two core subunits of the archaeal exosome (Rrp41 and Rrp42), bound to a small RNA molecule (in red).
