Targeting the nuclear RNA exosome: Poly(A) binding proteins enter the stage

Centrally positioned in nuclear RNA metabolism, the exosome deals with virtually all transcript types. This 3-5 exo- and endo-nucleolytic degradation machine is guided to its RNA targets by adaptor proteins that enable substrate recognition. Recently, the discovery of the Poly(A) tail exosome targeting (PAXT)' connection as an exosome adaptor to human nuclear polyadenylated transcripts has relighted the interest of poly(A) binding proteins (PABPs) in both RNA productive and destructive processes.