InterPro domain: IPR007019

This entry represents the surfeit locus protein SURF6 from mammals and its homologues from plants and fungi.

In mammals, SURF6 is a component of the nucleolar matrix and has a strong binding capacity for nucleic acids [ 1 ]. SURF6 is always found in the nucleolus regardless of the phase of the cell cycle suggesting that it is a structural protein constitutively present in nucleolar substructures. A role in rRNA processing has been proposed for this protein.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae member of the SURF-6 family, named Rrp14 (ribosomal RNA-processing protein 14), interacts with proteins involved in ribosomal biogenesis and cell polarity [ 2 ]. It is required for the synthesis of both 40S and 60S ribosomal subunits and may also play some direct role in correct positioning of the mitotic spindle during mitosis [ 3 , 4 ].

1. The SURF-6 protein is a component of the nucleolar matrix and has a high binding capacity for nucleic acids in vitro. Eur. J. Cell Biol. 75, 174-83
2. Identification of an evolutionary conserved SURF-6 domain in a family of nucleolar proteins extending from human to yeast. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 327, 143-9
3. Yeast Rrp14p is required for ribosomal subunit synthesis and for correct positioning of the mitotic spindle during mitosis. Nucleic Acids Res. 35, 1354-66
4. Yeast Rrp14p is a nucleolar protein involved in both ribosome biogenesis and cell polarity. RNA 13, 1977-87