RNA-binding protein RO60

RNA-binding protein RO60 (RO60) is a 538-amino acid RNA-binding protein that associates with misfolded non-coding RNAs, pre-5S rRNA, and Y RNAs. It binds endogenous Alu retroelements induced by type I interferon and regulates both Alu retroelement and inflammatory gene expression, with potential roles in cilia formation and maintenance (UniProt: P10155).

The protein is ubiquitously expressed across tissues and is involved in post-transcriptional gene regulation and innate immune responses. Its functional roles span RNA quality control and inflammation modulation, processes increasingly recognized as relevant to neurodegeneration (UniProt: P10155).

RO60 is upregulated in Alzheimer's Disease brain tissue relative to age-matched controls (Chaparral AD proteomics). Quantitative proteomic analysis of post-mortem AD brain by TMT-labeled mass spectrometry detected a mean log2 fold-change of +0.37 across subcellular fractions (P2, P3, S2, S3), suggesting elevation of this RNA-binding and inflammation-associated protein in AD pathology.