RNA‐binding proteins (RBPs) are essential players in RNA metabolism including key cellular processes from pre‐mRNA splicing to mRNA translation. The K homology‐type QUAKING RBP is emerging as a vital factor for oligodendrocytes, monocytes/macrophages, endothelial cell, and myocyte function. Interestingly, the qkI gene has now been identified as the culprit gene for a patient with intellectual disabilities and is translocated in a pediatric ganglioglioma as a fusion protein with MYB. In this review, we will focus on the emerging discoveries of the QKI proteins as well as highlight the recent advances in understanding the role of QKI in human disease pathology including myelin disorders, schizophrenia and cancer. WIREs RNA 2016, 7:399–412. doi: 10.1002/wrna.1344

This article is categorized under:

• RNA Interactions with Proteins and Other Molecules > Protein–RNA Interactions: Functional Implications
• RNA Processing > Splicing Regulation/Alternative Splicing
• RNA in Disease and Development > RNA in Disease