InterPro domain: IPR001650

Helicases have been classified in 5 superfamilies (SF1-SF5). For the two largest groups, commonly referred to as SF1 and SF2, a total of seven characteristic motifs has been identified [ 1 ]. These two superfamilies encompass a large number of DNA and RNA helicases from archaea, eubacteria, eukaryotes and viruses.

This entry represents the C-terminal domain found in proteins belonging to the helicase superfamilies 1 and 2. Included in this group is the eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4A (eIF4A), a member of the DEA(D/H)-box RNA helicase family. The structure of the carboxyl-terminal domain of eIF4A has been determined; it has a parallel alpha-beta topology that superimposes, with minor variations, on the structures and conserved motifs of the equivalent domain in other, distantly related helicases [ 2 ].

1. Two related superfamilies of putative helicases involved in replication, recombination, repair and expression of DNA and RNA genomes. Nucleic Acids Res. 17, 4713-30
2. Crystal structure of yeast initiation factor 4A, a DEAD-box RNA helicase. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 97, 13080-5