double-stranded RNA binding motif of plant Dicer-like proteins
The family includes plant Dicer-like (DCL) proteins and other ribonuclease (RNase) III-like (RTL) proteins. DCLs are endoribonucleases involved in RNA-mediated post-transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS). They function in the microRNA (miRNA) biogenesis pathway by cleaving primary miRNAs (pri-miRNAs) and precursor miRNAs (pre-miRNAs). Family members contain a double-stranded RNA binding motif (DSRM) at the C-terminus. DSRM is not sequence specific, but highly specific for dsRNAs of various origin and structure.