Table 1.

Functions of double-stranded RNA binding proteins described in this review

Protein name	Principal functions
RNase III family	dsRNA specific endoribonucleases
Bacterial RNase III	Processing of rRNA and tRNA
Yeast Rnt1p	Processing of rRNA
Dicer	Processing of siRNA and miRNA
Drosha	Processing of rRNA and miRNA
ADAR family	A-to-I editing of viral and cellular RNAs
Staufen	Localization of mRNAs
PKR	Serine/Threonine kinase
	Anti-viral defense
	Cellular stress response
	Control of protein synthesis
TRBP/PACT	Modulator of PKR/RNA interference
TRBP	Inhibition of PKR
	Translation activation
	Component in RNAi pathway
PACT	Activation of PKR
HYL1/HEN1	Maturation of miRNA in plants