RNase R has been shown to be involved in selective mRNA degradation, particularly of non stop mRNAs in bacteria.
RNase R ensures translation accuracy, correct rRNA maturation and elimination of abnormal rRNAs, and is employed by the trans-translation system to break down damaged mRNAs.
[3] In Escherichia coli, RNase R is a 92 kD protein, with the characteristic capacity to degrade structured RNA substrates without displaying sequence specificity.
Therefore, RNase R acts over a range of substrates, such as, ribosomal, transfer, messenger and small non-coding RNAs.
This protein is also critical for handling rRNA precursors and for observing the ribosome integrity.