Pumilio repeat - Pumilio

Members of the Pumilio family of proteins (Puf) regulate translation and mRNA stability in a wide variety of eukaryotic organisms including mammals, flies, worms, slime mold, and yeast. Pumilio family members are characterised by the presence of tandem copies of an imperfectly repeated 36 amino acids sequence motif, the Pumilio repeat, surrounded by a short N- and C-terminal conserved region. The Puf family of proteins are mainly post-transcriptional regulators. Several Puf members have been shown to bind specific RNA sequences mainly found in the 3' UTR of mRNA and repress their translation. Frequently, Puf proteins function asymmetrically to create protein gradients, thus causing asymmetric cell division and regulating cell fate specification.