Characterization of the direct physical interaction of nc886, a cellular non‐coding RNA, and PKR

We have recently shown that nc886 (pre‐miR‐886 or vtRNA2‐1) is not a genuine microRNA precursor nor a vault RNA, but a novel type of non‐coding RNA that represses PKR, a double‐stranded RNA (dsRNA) dependent kinase. Here we have characterized their direct physical association. PKR's two RNA binding domains form a specific and stable complex with nc886's central portion, without any preference to its 5′‐end structure. By binding to PKR with a...