The sweet side of RNA regulation: glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase as a noncanonical RNA-binding protein.

The glycolytic protein, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), has a vast array of extraglycolytic cellular functions, including interactions with nucleic acids. GAPDH has been implicated in the translocation of transfer RNA (tRNA), the regulation of cellular messenger RNA (mRNA) stability and translation, as well as the regulation of replication and gene expression of many single-stranded RNA viruses. A growing body of evidence supports GAPDH-RNA interactions serving as part of a larger coordination between intermediary metabolism and RNA biogenesis. Despite the established role of GAPDH in nucleic acid regulation, it is still unclear how and where GAPDH binds to its RNA targets, highlighted by the absence of any conserved RNA-binding sequences. This review will summarize our current understanding of GAPDH-mediated regulation of RNA function. WIREs RNA 2016, 7:53-70. doi: 10.1002/wrna.1315 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.