Xenopus Vg1 mRNA is localized to the vegetal cortex
during oogenesis in a process involving microtubules and
microfilaments and proteins that specifically recognize the
vegetal localization element (VLE) within the 3′ untranslated
region. One of the best characterized VLE-binding proteins is
Vg1RBP or Vera. Primary sequence analysis of Vg1RBP and its
homologs suggests that most of its open reading frame is occupied
by RNA-binding modules, including two RRMs and four KH domains,
arranged as three pairs of didomains. In the first detailed
domain analysis of Vg1RBP, we show that the interaction of Vg1RBP
with the VLE requires both KH didomains, but not the RRM didomain,
and moreover that the KH didomains contribute cooperatively
to RNA binding. In the full-length protein, individual KH domains
display significant redundancy, and their relative importance
appears to vary with the RNA target. We also demonstrate that
the KH34 didomain mediates Vg1RBP self-association, which is
stabilized by RNA, and occurs in vivo as well as in vitro.
Altogether, our findings highlight the importance of multiple
KH domains in mediating RNA–protein and protein–protein
interactions in the formation of a stable complex of Vg1RBP
and Vg1 mRNA.