Background information
Helicases comprise a class of enzymes that function as motor proteins which move along nucleic acid phosphodiester bonds, effectively separating two annealed nucleic acid strands. RNA helicases alter the conformation of RNA, specifically by unwinding double-stranded RNA regions to yield single RNA strands, a process which changes the biological activity of the RNA molecule. HELZ (helicase with zinc finger), also known as DHRC or HUMORF5, is a 1,942 amino acid nuclear protein that contains one C3H1-type zinc finger and belongs to the RNA helicase superfamily. Expressed ubiquitously during embryonic development, HELZ is thought to function as an RNA helicase that modifies RNA structure and plays a role in the development of multiple organs and tissues within the developing embryo.
