Multimerization of ELAV in Drosophila is essential for directing neuronal alternative splicing and polyadenylation programs.

Multimerization of ELAV in Drosophila is essential for directing neuronal alternative splicing and polyadenylation programs, with mutants being embryonic lethal.

• Why it matters: Understanding how ELAV/Hu RBPs achieve gene-specific regulation is crucial because they recognize spaced U-rich motifs through multimerization, a process not fully understood. This knowledge could clarify mechanisms of neuronal gene regulation.
• What they did: Researchers determined X-ray crystal structures of ELAV RRM3, revealing that multimerization is mediated by two conserved interfaces in non-RNA-binding regions, and mutational analysis in Drosophila photoreceptor neurons showed both interfaces are vital for function.
• The result: Multimerization is necessary for ELAV to regulate neuronal splicing and polyadenylation of some target genes, providing a structural basis for gene-specific regulation amid redundant motifs.