scholarly journals snRNA 3′ end formation: the dawn of the Integrator complex

2010 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 1082-1087 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiandong Chen ◽  
Eric J. Wagner

The ubiquitously expressed uridine-rich snRNAs (small nuclear RNAs) are essential for the removal of introns, proper expression of histone mRNA and biosynthesis of ribosomal RNA. Much is known about their assembly into snRNP (small nuclear ribonucleoprotein) particles and their ultimate function in the expression of other genes; however, in comparison, less is known about the biosynthesis of these critical non-coding RNAs. The sequence elements necessary for 3′ end formation of snRNAs have been identified and, intriguingly, the processing of snRNAs is uniquely dependent on the snRNA promoter, indicating that co-transcriptional processing is important. However, the trans-acting RNA-processing factors that mediate snRNA processing remained elusive, hindering overall progress. Recently, the factors involved in this process were biochemically purified, and designated the Integrator complex. Since their initial discovery, Integrator proteins have been implicated not only in the production of snRNA, but also in other cellular processes that may be independent of snRNA biogenesis. In the present study, we discuss snRNA biosynthesis and the roles of Integrator proteins. We compare models of 3′ end formation for different classes of RNA polymerase II transcripts and formulate/propose a model of Integrator function in snRNA biogenesis.

2007 ◽  
Vol 178 (6) ◽  
pp. 937-949 ◽  
Author(s):  
Snehal Bhikhu Patel ◽  
Natalya Novikova ◽  
Michel Bellini

In amphibian oocytes, most lateral loops of the lampbrush chromosomes correspond to active transcriptional sites for RNA polymerase II. We show that newly assembled small nuclear ribonucleoprotein (RNP [snRNP]) particles, which are formed upon cytoplasmic injection of fluorescently labeled spliceosomal small nuclear RNAs (snRNAs), target the nascent transcripts of the chromosomal loops. With this new targeting assay, we demonstrate that nonfunctional forms of U1 and U2 snRNAs still associate with the active transcriptional units. In particular, we find that their association with nascent RNP fibrils is independent of their base pairing with pre–messenger RNAs. Additionally, stem loop I of the U1 snRNA is identified as a discrete domain that is both necessary and sufficient for association with nascent transcripts. Finally, in oocytes deficient in splicing, the recruitment of U1, U4, and U5 snRNPs to transcriptional units is not affected. Collectively, these data indicate that the recruitment of snRNPs to nascent transcripts and the assembly of the spliceosome are uncoupled events.


Development ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 112 (1) ◽  
pp. 317-326
Author(s):  
M. Caizergues-Ferrer ◽  
C. Mathieu ◽  
P. Mariottini ◽  
F. Amalric ◽  
F. Amaldi

Fibrillarin is one of the protein components that together with U3 snRNA constitute the U3 snRNP, a small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particle involved in ribosomal RNA processing in eucaryotic cells. Using an antifibrillarin antiserum for protein detection and a fibrillarin cDNA and a synthetic oligonucleotide complementary to U3 snRNA as hybridization probes, the expression of these two components has been studied during Xenopus development. Fibrillarin mRNA is accumulated early in oogenesis, like many other messengers, and translated during oocyte growth. Fibrillarin protein is thus progressively accumulated throughout oogenesis to be assembled with U3 snRNA and used for ribosome production in the amplified nucleoli. After fertilization, the amount of U3 snRNA decreases while the maternally accumulated fibrillarin mRNA is maintained and utilized to produce more protein. After the mid-blastula transition, stored fibrillarin is assembled with newly synthesized U3 snRNA and becomes localized in the prenucleolar bodies and reforming nucleoli.


2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Larissa Leggieri Coa ◽  
Thiago Ferreira Abreu ◽  
Alexandre Keiji Tashima ◽  
Janaina Green ◽  
Renata Castiglioni Pascon ◽  
...  

Abstract The serine-threonine kinase AKT/PKB is a critical regulator of various essential cellular processes, and dysregulation of AKT has been implicated in many diseases, including cancer. Despite AKT action is known to function mainly in the cytoplasm, AKT has been reported to translocate to the nucleus. However, very little is known about the mechanism required for the nuclear import of AKT as well as its function in this cellular compartment. In the present study, we characterized the presence of endogenous nuclear AKT in human melanoma cells and addressed the possible role of AKT by exploring its potential association with key interaction nuclear partners. Confocal and Western blot analyses showed that both phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated forms of AKT are present in melanoma cells nuclei. Using mass spectrometry in combination with protein-crosslinking and co-immunoprecipitation, we identified a series of putative protein partners of nuclear AKT, including heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein (hnRNP), cytoskeleton proteins β-actin, γ-actin, β-actin-like 2 and vimentin. Confocal microscopy and biochemical analyses validated β-actin as a new nuclear AKT-interacting partner. Cofilin and active RNA Polymerase II, two proteins that have been described to interact and work in concert with nuclear actin in transcription regulation, were also found associated with nuclear AKT. Overall, the present study uncovered a yet unrecognized nuclear coupling of AKT and provides insights into the involvement of AKT in the interaction network of nuclear actin.


1997 ◽  
Vol 17 (12) ◽  
pp. 7099-7107 ◽  
Author(s):  
D Y Hwang ◽  
J B Cohen

Both experimental work and surveys of the lengths of internal exons in nature have suggested that vertebrate internal exons require a minimum size of approximately 50 nucleotides for efficient inclusion in mature mRNA. This phenomenon has been ascribed to steric interference between complexes involved in recognition of the splicing signals at the two ends of short internal exons. To determine whether U1 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein, a multicomponent splicing factor that is involved in the first recognition of splice sites, contributes to the lower size limit of vertebrate internal exons, we have taken advantage of our previous observation that U1 small nuclear RNAs (snRNAs) which bind upstream or downstream of the 5' splice site (5'SS) stimulate splicing of the upstream intron. By varying the position of U1 binding relative to the 3'SS, we show that U1-dependent splicing of the upstream intron becomes inefficient when U1 is positioned 48 nucleotides or less downstream of the 3'SS, suggesting a minimal distance between U1 and the 3'SS of approximately 50 nucleotides. This distance corresponds well to the suggested minimum size of internal exons. The results of experiments in which the 3'SS region of the reporter was duplicated suggest an optimal distance of greater than 72 nucleotides. We have also found that inclusion of a 24-nucleotide miniexon is promoted by the binding of U1 to the downstream intron but not by binding to the 5'SS. Our results are discussed in the context of models to explain constitutive splicing of small exons in nature.


2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (28) ◽  
pp. 8608-8613 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong Yu ◽  
Robin Reed

Pre-mRNA splicing is coupled to transcription by RNA polymerase II (RNAP II). We previously showed that U1 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein (snRNP) associates with RNAP II, and both RNAP II and U1 snRNP are also the most abundant factors associated with the protein fused-in-sarcoma (FUS), which is mutated to cause the neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Here, we show that an antisense morpholino that base-pairs to the 5′ end of U1 snRNA blocks splicing in the coupled system and completely disrupts the association between U1 snRNP and both FUS and RNAP II, but has no effect on the association between FUS and RNAP II. Conversely, we found that U1 snRNP does not interact with RNAP II in FUS knockdown extracts. Moreover, using these extracts, we found that FUS must be present during the transcription reaction in order for splicing to occur. Together, our data lead to a model that FUS functions in coupling transcription to splicing via mediating an interaction between RNAP II and U1 snRNP.


1995 ◽  
Vol 129 (4) ◽  
pp. 899-908 ◽  
Author(s):  
K M Neugebauer ◽  
J A Stolk ◽  
M B Roth

The removal of introns from eukaryotic pre-mRNA occurs in a large ribonucleoprotein complex called the spliceosome. We have generated a monoclonal antibody (mAb 16H3) against four of the family of six SR proteins, known regulators of splice site selection and spliceosome assembly. In addition to the reactive SR proteins, SRp20, SRp40, SRp55, and SRp75, mAb 16H3 also binds approximately 20 distinct nuclear proteins in human, frog, and Drosophila extracts, whereas yeast do not detectably express the epitope. The antigens are shown to be nuclear, nonnucleolar, and concentrated at active sites of RNA polymerase II transcription which suggests their involvement in pre-mRNA processing. Indeed, most of the reactive proteins observed in nuclear extract are detected in spliceosomes (E and/or B complex) assembled in vitro, including the U1 70K component of the U1 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particle and both subunits of U2AF. Interestingly, the 16H3 epitope was mapped to a 40-amino acid polypeptide composed almost exclusively of arginine alternating with glutamate and aspartate. All of the identified antigens, including the human homolog of yeast Prp22 (HRH1), contain a similar structural element characterized by arginine alternating with serine, glutamate, and/or aspartate. These results indicate that many more spliceosomal components contain such arginine-rich domains. Because it is conserved among metazoans, we propose that the "alternating arginine" domain recognized by mAb 16H3 may represent a common functional element of pre-mRNA splicing factors.


Author(s):  
Devlin C Moyer ◽  
Graham E Larue ◽  
Courtney E Hershberger ◽  
Scott W Roy ◽  
Richard A Padgett

Abstract During nuclear maturation of most eukaryotic pre-messenger RNAs and long non-coding RNAs, introns are removed through the process of RNA splicing. Different classes of introns are excised by the U2-type or the U12-type spliceosomes, large complexes of small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particles and associated proteins. We created intronIC, a program for assigning intron class to all introns in a given genome, and used it on 24 eukaryotic genomes to create the Intron Annotation and Orthology Database (IAOD). We then used the data in the IAOD to revisit several hypotheses concerning the evolution of the two classes of spliceosomal introns, finding support for the class conversion model explaining the low abundance of U12-type introns in modern genomes.


2007 ◽  
Vol 282 (38) ◽  
pp. 27953-27959 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel J. Battle ◽  
Mumtaz Kasim ◽  
Jin Wang ◽  
Gideon Dreyfuss

The survival of motor neurons (SMN) complex is essential for the biogenesis of small nuclear ribonucleoprotein (snRNP) complexes in eukaryotic cells. Reduced levels of SMN cause the motor neuron degenerative disease, spinal muscular atrophy. We identify here stable subunits of the SMN complex that do not contain SMN. Sedimentation and immunoprecipitation experiments using cell extracts reveal at least three complexes composed of Gemin3, -4, and -5; Gemin6, -7, and unrip; and SMN with Gemin2, as well as free Gemin5. Complexes containing Gemin3-Gemin4-Gemin5 and Gemin6-Gemin7-unrip persist at similar levels when SMN is reduced. In cells, immunofluorescence microscopy shows differential localization of Gemin5 after cell stress. We further show that the Gemin5-containing subunits bind small nuclear RNA independently of the SMN complex and without a requirement for exogenous ATP. ATP hydrolysis is, however, required for displacement of small nuclear RNAs from the Gemin5-containing subunits and their assembly into snRNPs. These findings demonstrate a modular nature of the SMN complex and identify a new intermediate in the snRNP assembly process.


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