Peptides for the specific binding of RNA targets

An isolated nucleic acid encoding a recombinant polypeptide comprising at least one PUF RNA-binding domain, wherein the PUF RNA-binding domain comprises at least one RNA base-binding motif having formula X1X2X3X4X5X6X7X8X9X10X11 wherein

• X1 is glutamine (Q), X2 is histidine (H);
• X3 is glycine (G);
• X4 is selected from the group including glycine (G), alanine (A), serine (S), threonine (T) and cysteine (C);
• X5 is arginine (R);
• X6 is phenylalanine (F);
• X7 is isoleucine (I);
• X8 is arginine (R);
• X9 is leucine (L);
• X10 is lysine (K);
• and X11 is leucine (L);
• or
• X1 is valine (V);
• X2 is phenylalanine (F);
• X3 is glycine (G);
• X4 is selected from the group including glycine (G), alanine (A), serine (S), threonine (T) and cysteine (C);
• X5 is tyrosine (Y);
• X6 is valine (V);
• X7 is isoleucine (I);
• X8 is arginine (R);
• X9 is lysine (K);
• X10 is phenylalanine (F);
• and X11 is phenylalanine (F);
• or
• X1 is methionine (M);
• X2 is tyrosine (Y);
• X3 is glycine (G);
• X4 is selected from the group including glycine (G), alanine (A), serine (S), threonine (T) and cysteine (C);
• X5 is arginine (R);
• X6 is valine (V);
• X7 is isoleucine (I);
• X8 is arginine (R);
• X9 is lysine (K);
• X10 is alanine (A);
• and X11 is leucine (L);
• or
• X1 is glutamine (Q);
• X2 is asparagine (N);
• X3 is glycine (G);
• X4 is selected from the group including glycine (G), alanine (A), serine (S), threonine (T) and cysteine (C);
• X5 is histidine (H);
• X6 is valine (V);
• X7 is valine (V);
• X8 is arginine (R);
• X9 is lysine (K);
• X10 is cysteine (C);
• and X11 is isoleucine (I);
• or
• X1 is proline (P);
• X2 is tyrosine (Y);
• X3 is glycine (G);
• X4 is selected from the group including glycine (G), alanine (A), serine (S), threonine (T) and cysteine (C);
• X5 is arginine (R);
• X6 is valine (V);
• X7 is isoleucine (I);
• X8 is arginine;
• (R);
• X9 is arginine (R);
• X10 is isoleucine (I);
• and X11 is leucine (L);
• or
• X1 is glutamine (Q);
• X2 is tyrosine (Y);
• X3 is glycine (G);
• X4 is selected from the group including glycine (G), alanine (A), serine (S), threonine (T) and cysteine (C);
• X5 is tyrosine (Y);
• X6 is valine (V);
• X7 is isoleucine (I);
• X8 is arginine;
• (R);
• X9 is histidine (H);
• X10 is valine (V);
• and X11 is leucine (L);
• or
• X1 is lysine (K);
• X2 is phenylalanine (F);
• X3 is alanine (A);
• X4 is selected from the group including glycine (G), alanine (A), serine (S), threonine (T) and cysteine (C);
• X5 is asparagine (N);
• X6 is valine (V);
• X7 is valine (V);
• X8 is arginine;
• (R);
• X9 is lysine (K);
• X10 is cysteine (C);
• and X11 is valine (V);
• or
• X1 is glutamine (Q);
• X2 is tyrosine (Y);
• X3 is alanine (A);
• X4 is selected from the group including glycine (G), alanine (A), serine (S), threonine (T) and cysteine (C);
• X5 is tyrosine (Y);
• X6 is valine (V);
• X7 is valine (V);
• X8 is arginine;
• (R);
• X9 is lysine (K);
• X10 is methionine (M);
• and X11 is isoleucine (I).