Molecular modeling of DICER and identification of phosphorylation sites

RNA interference (RNAi) is a post-transcriptional process initiated by double-stranded RNA molecules that degrade a complementary target RNA. In the first step, long double-stranded RNA molecules are chopped into shorter duplexes by an endonuclease dubbed DICER. This work focused on the identification of phosphorylation sites in DICER and proceeded towards comparative modeling. The domain of unknown function in DICER showed homology with the chromatin remodeling protein domains. This suggests that DICER may also perform chromatin remodeling. The Ramachandran analysis revealed that the models had 96% residues in the permissible regions and could be used for future ligand binding studies.