A member of the RnfH family of the ubiquitin superfamily. Members of this family strongly co-occur in two distinct gene neighborhood contexts. In one it is associated with a START domain protein, a membrane protein SmpA and the transfer mRNA binding protein SmpB. This association suggests a possible role in the SmpB-tmRNA-based tagging and degadation system of bacteria, which is interesting given that other members of the ubiquitin system are analogously involved in protein-tagging and degradation across eukaryotes and various prokaryotes. The second context in which the RnfH genes are present is in a membrane associated complex involved in transporting electrons for various reductive reactions such as nitrogen fixation [1].

1: The prokaryotic antecedents of the ubiquitin-signaling system and the early evolution of ubiquitin-like beta-grasp domains. Iyer LM, Burroughs AM, Aravind L; Genome Biol. 2006;7:R60. PMID:16859499