PCBP2

Poly(rC)-binding protein 2 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the PCBP2 gene.

Function

The protein encoded by this gene appears to be multifunctional. It along with PCBP-1 and hnRNPK corresponds to the major cellular poly(rC)-binding proteins. It contains three K-homologous (KH) domains which may be involved in RNA binding. This encoded protein together with PCBP-1 also functions as translational coactivators of poliovirus RNA via a sequence-specific interaction with stem-loop IV of the IRES and promote poliovirus RNA replication by binding to its 5'-terminal cloverleaf structure. It has also been implicated in translational control of the 15-lipoxygenase mRNA, human Papillomavirus type 16 L2 mRNA, and hepatitis A virus RNA. The encoded protein is also suggested to play a part in formation of a sequence-specific alpha-globin mRNP complex which is associated with alpha-globin mRNA stability. This multiexon structural mRNA is thought to be retrotransposed to generate PCBP-1 intronless gene which has similar functions. This gene and PCBP-1 has paralogues PCBP3 and PCBP4 which is thought to arose as a result of duplication events of entire genes. It also has two processed pseudogenes PCBP2P1 and PCBP2P2. There are presently two alternatively spliced transcript variants described for this gene.