DGCR8 recognizes primary transcripts of microRNAs through highly cooperative binding and formation of higher-order structures

Structural organization of the DGCR8–pri-mir-30a complex. (A) Surface representation of the averaged density map viewed from three orthogonal directions. (B) Plausible arrangement of protein molecules and RNA in the complex based on the dimension and volume of individual components. We suggest that the RNA helix is located in the central region of the complex. Six copies of the crystal structure of DGCR8 dsRBDs are placed in the density, solely for the purpose of demonstrating that there is sufficient room in the electron density for three DGCR8 dimer subunits and the RNA strand.