1
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Wang M, Liang AM, Zhou ZZ, Pang TL, Fan YJ, Xu YZ. Deletions of singular U1 snRNA gene significantly interfere with transcription and 3'-end mRNA formation. PLoS Genet 2023; 19:e1011021. [PMID: 37917726 PMCID: PMC10645366 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1011021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2023] [Revised: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Small nuclear RNAs (snRNAs) are structural and functional cores of the spliceosome. In metazoan genomes, each snRNA has multiple copies/variants, up to hundreds in mammals. However, the expressions and functions of each copy/variant in one organism have not been systematically studied. Focus on U1 snRNA genes, we investigated all five copies in Drosophila melanogaster using two series of constructed strains. Analyses of transgenic flies that each have a U1 promoter-driven gfp revealed that U1:21D is the major and ubiquitously expressed copy, and the other four copies have specificities in developmental stages and tissues. Mutant strains that each have a precisely deleted copy of U1-gene exhibited various extents of defects in fly morphology or mobility, especially deletion of U1:82Eb. Interestingly, splicing was changed at limited levels in the deletion strains, while large amounts of differentially-expressed genes and alternative polyadenylation events were identified, showing preferences in the down-regulation of genes with 1-2 introns and selection of proximal sites for 3'-end polyadenylation. In vitro assays suggested that Drosophila U1 variants pulled down fewer SmD2 proteins compared to the canonical U1. This study demonstrates that all five U1-genes in Drosophila have physiological functions in development and play regulatory roles in transcription and 3'-end formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mei Wang
- Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental and Evolutionary Biology, Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Shanghai, China, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
- RNA Institute, State Key Laboratory of Virology, Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, TaiKang Center for Life and Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Hubei, China
- Shanghai Institute of Biological Products, Shanghai, China
| | - An-Min Liang
- RNA Institute, State Key Laboratory of Virology, Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, TaiKang Center for Life and Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Hubei, China
| | - Zhen-Zhen Zhou
- RNA Institute, State Key Laboratory of Virology, Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, TaiKang Center for Life and Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Hubei, China
| | - Ting-Lin Pang
- Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental and Evolutionary Biology, Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Shanghai, China, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
| | - Yu-Jie Fan
- RNA Institute, State Key Laboratory of Virology, Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, TaiKang Center for Life and Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Hubei, China
| | - Yong-Zhen Xu
- RNA Institute, State Key Laboratory of Virology, Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, TaiKang Center for Life and Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Hubei, China
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2
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Mo Z, Li R, Cao C, Li Y, Zheng S, Wu R, Xue J, Hu J, Meng H, Zhai H, Huang W, Zheng F, Zhou B. Splicing factor SNRPA associated with microvascular invasion promotes hepatocellular carcinoma metastasis through activating NOTCH1/Snail pathway and is mediated by circSEC62/miR-625-5p axis. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY 2023; 38:1022-1037. [PMID: 36715182 DOI: 10.1002/tox.23745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2022] [Revised: 12/10/2022] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Microvascular invasion (MVI) is a crucial risk factor related to the metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but the underlying mechanisms remain to be revealed. Characterizing the inherent mechanisms of MVI may aid in the development of effective treatment strategies to improve the prognosis of HCC patients with metastasis. Through the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, we identified that small nuclear ribonucleoprotein polypeptide A (SNRPA) was related to MVI in HCC. SNRPA was overexpressed in MVI-HCC and correlated with poor patient survival. Mechanistically, SNRPA promoted the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-like process for HCC cells to accelerate metastasis by activating the NOTCH1/Snail pathway in vitro and in vivo. Importantly, circSEC62 upregulated SNRPA expression in HCC cells via miR-625-5p sponging. Taking these results together, our study identified a novel regulatory mechanism among SNRPA, miR-625-5p, circSEC62 and the NOTCH1/Snail pathway in HCC, which promoted metastasis of HCC and may provide effective suggestions for improving the prognosis of HCC patients with metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhaohong Mo
- Fifth Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, China
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ruixi Li
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, The Eighth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Chuanlin Cao
- Fifth Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, China
| | - Yanjie Li
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shiyang Zheng
- Department of Head and Neck surgery, Cancer Center of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Runxin Wu
- Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jinhua Xue
- Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, China
| | - Jingxiong Hu
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Hongyu Meng
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Hang Zhai
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Weiling Huang
- Department of Breast Oncology, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Fang Zheng
- Medical Research Center, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Boxuan Zhou
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
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3
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A genetic screen in C. elegans reveals roles for KIN17 and PRCC in maintaining 5' splice site identity. PLoS Genet 2022; 18:e1010028. [PMID: 35143478 PMCID: PMC8865678 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Revised: 02/23/2022] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Pre-mRNA splicing is an essential step of eukaryotic gene expression carried out by a series of dynamic macromolecular protein/RNA complexes, known collectively and individually as the spliceosome. This series of spliceosomal complexes define, assemble on, and catalyze the removal of introns. Molecular model snapshots of intermediates in the process have been created from cryo-EM data, however, many aspects of the dynamic changes that occur in the spliceosome are not fully understood. Caenorhabditis elegans follow the GU-AG rule of splicing, with almost all introns beginning with 5’ GU and ending with 3’ AG. These splice sites are identified early in the splicing cycle, but as the cycle progresses and “custody” of the pre-mRNA splice sites is passed from factor to factor as the catalytic site is built, the mechanism by which splice site identity is maintained or re-established through these dynamic changes is unclear. We performed a genetic screen in C. elegans for factors that are capable of changing 5’ splice site choice. We report that KIN17 and PRCC are involved in splice site choice, the first functional splicing role proposed for either of these proteins. Previously identified suppressors of cryptic 5’ splicing promote distal cryptic GU splice sites, however, mutations in KIN17 and PRCC instead promote usage of an unusual proximal 5’ splice site which defines an intron beginning with UU, separated by 1nt from a GU donor. We performed high-throughput mRNA sequencing analysis and found that mutations in PRCC, and to a lesser extent KIN17, changed alternative 5’ splice site usage at native sites genome-wide, often promoting usage of nearby non-consensus sites. Our work has uncovered both fine and coarse mechanisms by which the spliceosome maintains splice site identity during the complex assembly process. Pre-messenger RNA splicing is an important regulator of eukaryotic gene expression, changing the content, frame, and functionality of both coding and non-coding transcripts. Our understanding of how the spliceosome chooses where to cut has focused on the initial identification of splice sites. However, our results suggest that the spliceosome also relies on other components in later steps to maintain the identity of the splice donor sites. We are currently in the midst of a “resolution revolution”, with ever-clearer cryo-EM snapshots of stalled complexes, allowing researchers to visualize moments in time in the splicing cycle. These models are illuminating, but do not always elucidate mechanistic functioning of a highly dynamic ribonucleoprotein complex. Therefore, our lab takes a complementary approach, using the power of genetics in a multicellular animal to gain functional insights into the spliceosome. Using a C.elegans genetic screen, we have found novel functional splicing roles for two proteins, KIN17 and PRCC. Mutations in PRCC in particular promote nearby alternative 5’ splice sites at native loci. This work improves our understanding of how the spliceosome maintains the identity of where to cut the pre-mRNA, and thus how genes are expressed and used in multicellular animals.
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4
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Complex aberrant splicing in the induced pluripotent stem cell–derived cardiomyocytes from a patient with long QT syndrome carrying KCNQ1-A344Aspl mutation. Heart Rhythm 2018; 15:1566-1574. [DOI: 10.1016/j.hrthm.2018.05.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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5
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Ajiro M, Zheng ZM. Vemurafenib-resistant BRAF selects alternative branch points different from its wild-type BRAF in intron 8 for RNA splicing. Cell Biosci 2015; 5:70. [PMID: 26697165 PMCID: PMC4687071 DOI: 10.1186/s13578-015-0061-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2015] [Accepted: 12/14/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
One mechanism of resistance of the melanoma-associated BRAF kinase to its small molecule inhibitor vemurafenib is by point mutations in its intron 8 resulting in exons 4–8 skipping. In this report, we carried out in vitro BRAF RNA splicing assays and lariat RT-PCR to map the intron 8 branch points in wild-type and BRAF mutants. We identify multiple branch points (BP) in intron 8 of both wild-type (wt) and vemurafenib-resistant BRAF RNA. In wt BRAF, BPs are located at -29A, -28A and -26A, whereas in a vemurafenib-resistant BRAF splicing mutant, BPs map to -22A, -18A and -15A, proximal to the intron 8 3′ splice site. This finding of a distal-to-proximal shift of the branch point sequence in BRAF splicing in response to point-mutations in intron 8 provides insight into the regulation of BRAF alternative splicing upon vemurafenib resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masahiko Ajiro
- Tumor Virus RNA Biology Section, Gene Regulation and Chromosome Biology Laboratory, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, MD 21702 USA
| | - Zhi-Ming Zheng
- Tumor Virus RNA Biology Section, Gene Regulation and Chromosome Biology Laboratory, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, MD 21702 USA
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6
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Alternative Splicing Shapes the Phenotype of a Mutation in BBS8 To Cause Nonsyndromic Retinitis Pigmentosa. Mol Cell Biol 2015; 35:1860-70. [PMID: 25776555 DOI: 10.1128/mcb.00040-15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2015] [Accepted: 03/10/2015] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) is a genetic disorder affecting multiple systems and organs in the body. Several mutations in genes associated with BBS affect only photoreceptor cells and cause nonsyndromic retinitis pigmentosa (RP), raising the issue of why certain mutations manifest as a systemic disorder whereas other changes in the same gene affect only a specific cell type. Here, we show that cell-type-specific alternative splicing is responsible for confining the phenotype of the A-to-G substitution in the 3' splice site of BBS8 exon 2A (IVS1-2A>G mutation) in the BBS8 gene to photoreceptor cells. The IVS1-2A>G mutation leads to missplicing of BBS8 exon 2A, producing a frameshift in the BBS8 reading frame and thus eliminating the protein specifically in photoreceptor cells. Cell types other than photoreceptors skip exon 2A from the mature BBS8 transcript, which renders them immune to the mutation. We also show that the splicing of Bbs8 exon 2A in photoreceptors is directed exclusively by redundant splicing enhancers located in the adjacent introns. These intronic sequences are sufficient for photoreceptor-cell-specific splicing of heterologous exons, including an exon with a randomized sequence.
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7
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Abstract
One of the most amazing findings in molecular biology was the discovery that eukaryotic genes are discontinuous, with coding DNA being interrupted by stretches of non-coding sequence. The subsequent realization that the intervening regions are removed from pre-mRNA transcripts via the activity of a common set of small nuclear RNAs (snRNAs), which assemble together with associated proteins into a complex known as the spliceosome, was equally surprising. How do cells coordinate the assembly of this molecular machine? And how does the spliceosome accurately recognize exons and introns to carry out the splicing reaction? Insights into these questions have been gained by studying the life cycle of spliceosomal snRNAs from their transcription, nuclear export and re-import to their dynamic assembly into the spliceosome. This assembly process can also affect the regulation of alternative splicing and has implications for human disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Gregory Matera
- Department of Biology, Department of Genetics and Integrative Program for Biological and Genome Sciences, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA
| | - Zefeng Wang
- Department of Pharmacology, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA
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8
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Pabis M, Neufeld N, Steiner MC, Bojic T, Shav-Tal Y, Neugebauer KM. The nuclear cap-binding complex interacts with the U4/U6·U5 tri-snRNP and promotes spliceosome assembly in mammalian cells. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2013; 19:1054-63. [PMID: 23793891 PMCID: PMC3708526 DOI: 10.1261/rna.037069.112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2012] [Accepted: 04/24/2013] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
The nuclear cap-binding complex (CBC) binds to the 7-methyl guanosine cap present on every RNA polymerase II transcript. CBC has been implicated in many aspects of RNA biogenesis; in addition to roles in miRNA biogenesis, nonsense-mediated decay, 3'-end formation, and snRNA export from the nucleus, CBC promotes pre-mRNA splicing. An unresolved question is how CBC participates in splicing. To investigate CBC's role in splicing, we used mass spectrometry to identify proteins that copurify with mammalian CBC. Numerous components of spliceosomal snRNPs were specifically detected. Among these, three U4/U6·U5 snRNP proteins (hBrr2, hPrp4, and hPrp31) copurified with CBC in an RNA-independent fashion, suggesting that a significant fraction of CBC forms a complex with the U4/U6·U5 snRNP and that the activity of CBC might be associated with snRNP recruitment to pre-mRNA. To test this possibility, CBC was depleted from HeLa cells by RNAi. Chromatin immunoprecipitation and live-cell imaging assays revealed decreased cotranscriptional accumulation of U4/U6·U5 snRNPs on active transcription units, consistent with a requirement for CBC in cotranscriptional spliceosome assembly. Surprisingly, recruitment of U1 and U2 snRNPs was also affected, indicating that RNA-mediated interactions between CBC and snRNPs contribute to splicing. On the other hand, CBC depletion did not impair snRNP biogenesis, ruling out the possibility that decreased snRNP recruitment was due to changes in nuclear snRNP concentration. Taken together, the data support a model whereby CBC promotes pre-mRNA splicing through a network of interactions with and among spliceosomal snRNPs during cotranscriptional spliceosome assembly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Pabis
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Noa Neufeld
- The Mina & Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Institute of Nanotechnology, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 52900, Israel
| | - Michaela C. Steiner
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Teodora Bojic
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Yaron Shav-Tal
- The Mina & Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Institute of Nanotechnology, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 52900, Israel
| | - Karla M. Neugebauer
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, 01307 Dresden, Germany
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9
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Frankenstein Z, Sperling J, Sperling R, Eisenstein M. A unique spatial arrangement of the snRNPs within the native spliceosome emerges from in silico studies. Structure 2012; 20:1097-106. [PMID: 22578543 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2012.03.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2011] [Revised: 02/25/2012] [Accepted: 03/26/2012] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
The spliceosome is a mega-Dalton ribonucleoprotein (RNP) assembly that processes primary RNA transcripts, producing functional mRNA. The electron microscopy structures of the native spliceosome and of several spliceosomal subcomplexes are available; however, the spatial arrangement of the latter within the native spliceosome is not known. We designed a computational procedure to efficiently fit thousands of conformers into the spliceosome envelope. Despite the low resolution limitations, we obtained only one model that complies with the available biochemical data. Our model localizes the five small nuclear RNPs (snRNPs) mostly within the large subunit of the native spliceosome, requiring only minor conformation changes. The remaining free volume presumably accommodates additional spliceosomal components. The constituents of the active core of the spliceosome are juxtaposed, forming a continuous surface deep within the large spliceosomal cavity, which provides a sheltered environment for the splicing reaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziv Frankenstein
- Department of Structural Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
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10
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Krummel DAP, Nagai K, Oubridge C. Structure of spliceosomal ribonucleoproteins. F1000 BIOLOGY REPORTS 2010; 2:39. [PMID: 20948795 PMCID: PMC2950031 DOI: 10.3410/b2-39] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Splicing of the precursors of eukaryotic mRNA and some non-coding RNAs is catalyzed by the 'spliceosome', which comprises five RNA-protein complexes (small nuclear ribonucleoproteins, or snRNPs) that assemble in an ordered manner onto precursor-mRNAs. Much progress has been made in determining the gross morphology of spliceosomal assembly intermediates. Recently, the first crystal structure of a spliceosomal snRNP has provided significant insight into assembly and architecture of spliceosomal snRNPs in general and the structure-function relationship of human U1 snRNP in particular.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kiyoshi Nagai
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular BiologyHills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0QHUK
| | - Chris Oubridge
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular BiologyHills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0QHUK
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11
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Haudek KC, Voss PG, Locascio LE, Wang JL, Patterson RJ. A mechanism for incorporation of galectin-3 into the spliceosome through its association with U1 snRNP. Biochemistry 2009; 48:7705-12. [PMID: 19603745 DOI: 10.1021/bi900071b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Previously, we showed that galectin-1 and galectin-3 are redundant pre-mRNA splicing factors associated with the spliceosome throughout the splicing pathway. Here we present evidence for the association of galectin-3 with snRNPs outside of the spliceosome (i.e., in the absence of pre-mRNA splicing substrate). Immunoprecipitation of HeLa nuclear extract with anti-galectin-3 resulted in the coprecipitation of the five spliceosomal snRNAs, core Sm polypeptides, and the U1-specific protein, U1 70K. When nuclear extract was fractionated on glycerol gradients, some galectin-3 molecules cosedimented with snRNP complexes. This cosedimentation represents bona fide galectin-3--snRNP complexes as (i) immunoprecipitation of gradient fractions with anti-galectin-3 yielded several complexes with varying ratios of snRNAs and associated proteins and (ii) the distribution of galectin-3--snRNP complexes was altered when the glycerol gradient was sedimented in the presence of lactose, a galectin ligand. A complex at approximately 10S showed an association of galectin-3 with U1 snRNP that was sensitive to treatment with ribonuclease A. We tested the ability of this U1 snRNP to recognize an exogenous pre-mRNA substrate. Under conditions that assemble early splicing complexes, we found this isolated galectin-3--U1 snRNP particle was sufficient to load galectin-3 onto a pre-mRNA substrate, but not onto a control RNA lacking splice sites. Pretreatment of the U1 snRNP with micrococcal nuclease abolished the assembly of galectin-3 onto this early complex. These data identify galectin-3 as a polypeptide associated with snRNPs in the absence of splicing substrate and describe a mechanism for the assembly of galectin-3 onto the forming spliceosome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin C Haudek
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
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12
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Patel SB, Bellini M. The assembly of a spliceosomal small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particle. Nucleic Acids Res 2008; 36:6482-93. [PMID: 18854356 PMCID: PMC2582628 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkn658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The U1, U2, U4, U5 and U6 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particles (snRNPs) are essential elements of the spliceosome, the enzyme that catalyzes the excision of introns and the ligation of exons to form a mature mRNA. Since their discovery over a quarter century ago, the structure, assembly and function of spliceosomal snRNPs have been extensively studied. Accordingly, the functions of splicing snRNPs and the role of various nuclear organelles, such as Cajal bodies (CBs), in their nuclear maturation phase have already been excellently reviewed elsewhere. The aim of this review is, then, to briefly outline the structure of snRNPs and to synthesize new and exciting developments in the snRNP biogenesis pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Snehal Bhikhu Patel
- Biochemistry and College of Medicine and Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
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13
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Abad X, Vera M, Jung SP, Oswald E, Romero I, Amin V, Fortes P, Gunderson SI. Requirements for gene silencing mediated by U1 snRNA binding to a target sequence. Nucleic Acids Res 2008; 36:2338-52. [PMID: 18299285 PMCID: PMC2367729 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkn068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
U1 interference (U1i) is a novel method to block gene expression. U1i requires expression of a 5'-end-mutated U1 snRNA designed to base pair to the 3'-terminal exon of the target gene's pre-mRNA that leads to inhibition of polyadenylation. Here, we show U1i is robust (> or =95%) and a 10-nt target length is sufficient for good silencing. Surprisingly, longer U1 snRNAs, which could increase annealing to the target, fail to improve silencing. Extensive mutagenesis of the 10-bp U1 snRNA:target duplex shows that any single mismatch different from GU at positions 3-8, destroys silencing. However, mismatches within the other positions give partial silencing, suggesting that off-target inhibition could occur. The specificity of U1i may be enhanced, however, by the fact that silencing is impaired by RNA secondary structure or by splicing factors binding nearby, the latter mediated by Arginine-Serine (RS) domains. U1i inhibition can be reconstituted in vivo by tethering of RS domains of U1-70K and U2AF65. These results help to: (i) define good target sites for U1i; (ii) identify and understand natural cellular examples of U1i; (iii) clarify the contribution of hydrogen bonding to U1i and to U1 snRNP binding to 5' splice sites and (iv) understand the mechanism of U1i.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xabi Abad
- Division of Hepatology and Gene Therapy, CIMA/UNAV. Pio XII, 55, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
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14
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Patel SB, Novikova N, Bellini M. Splicing-independent recruitment of spliceosomal small nuclear RNPs to nascent RNA polymerase II transcripts. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2007; 178:937-49. [PMID: 17846169 PMCID: PMC2064619 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.200706134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
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.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Female
- Nucleic Acid Conformation
- RNA Polymerase II/genetics
- RNA Polymerase II/metabolism
- RNA Precursors/genetics
- RNA Precursors/metabolism
- RNA Splicing
- RNA, Small Nuclear/genetics
- RNA, Small Nuclear/metabolism
- Ribonucleoprotein, U1 Small Nuclear/genetics
- Ribonucleoprotein, U1 Small Nuclear/metabolism
- Ribonucleoprotein, U2 Small Nuclear/genetics
- Ribonucleoprotein, U2 Small Nuclear/metabolism
- Ribonucleoprotein, U4-U6 Small Nuclear/genetics
- Ribonucleoprotein, U4-U6 Small Nuclear/metabolism
- Ribonucleoprotein, U5 Small Nuclear/genetics
- Ribonucleoprotein, U5 Small Nuclear/metabolism
- Ribonucleoprotein, U7 Small Nuclear/genetics
- Ribonucleoprotein, U7 Small Nuclear/metabolism
- Ribonucleoproteins, Small Nuclear/genetics
- Ribonucleoproteins, Small Nuclear/metabolism
- Spliceosomes/genetics
- Spliceosomes/physiology
- Xenopus
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Affiliation(s)
- Snehal Bhikhu Patel
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine, School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
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15
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Le Ber I, van der Zee J, Hannequin D, Gijselinck I, Campion D, Puel M, Laquerrière A, De Pooter T, Camuzat A, Van den Broeck M, Dubois B, Sellal F, Lacomblez L, Vercelletto M, Thomas-Antérion C, Michel BF, Golfier V, Didic M, Salachas F, Duyckaerts C, Cruts M, Verpillat P, Van Broeckhoven C, Brice A. Progranulin null mutations in both sporadic and familial frontotemporal dementia. Hum Mutat 2007; 28:846-55. [PMID: 17436289 DOI: 10.1002/humu.20520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is the second most frequent type of neurodegenerative dementias. Mutations in the progranulin gene (GRN, PGRN) were recently identified in FTDU-17, an FTD subtype characterized by ubiquitin-immunoreactive inclusions and linkage to chromosome 17q21. We looked for PGRN mutations in a large series of 210 FTD patients (52 familial, 158 sporadic) to accurately evaluate the frequency of PGRN mutations in both sporadic and familial FTD, and FTD with associated motoneuron disease (FTD-MND), as well as to study the clinical phenotype of patients with a PGRN mutation. We identified nine novel PGRN null mutations in 10 index patients. The relative frequency of PGRN null mutations in FTD was 4.8% (10/210) and 12.8% (5/39) in pure familial forms. Interestingly, 5/158 (3.2%) apparently sporadic FTD patients carried a PGRN mutation, suggesting the possibility of de novo mutations or incomplete penetrance. In contrast, none of the 43 patients with FTD-MND had PGRN mutations, supporting that FTDU-17 and FTD-MND are genetically distinct. The clinical phenotype of PGRN mutation carriers was particular because of the wide range in onset age and the frequent occurrence of early apraxia (50%), visual hallucinations (30%), and parkinsonism (30%) during the course of the disease. This study supports that PGRN null mutations represent a more frequent cause of FTD than MAPT mutations (4.8% vs. 2.9%) but are not responsible for FTD-MND. It also demonstrates that half of the patients with a PGRN mutation in our series had no apparent family history of dementia. Taking this into account, genetic testing should be now considered more systematically, even in patients without obvious familial history of FTD.
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16
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Shen J, Zhang L, Zhao R. Biochemical characterization of the ATPase and helicase activity of UAP56, an essential pre-mRNA splicing and mRNA export factor. J Biol Chem 2007; 282:22544-50. [PMID: 17562711 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m702304200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
DEXD/H-box protein UAP56 is an essential pre-mRNA splicing factor required for the first ATP-dependent spliceosome assembly step. UAP56 is also essential for the export of the majority of mRNAs from the nucleus to the cytoplasm. We performed biochemical characterization of UAP56's ATPase and helicase activity, which is important for further understanding the role of these activities in UAP56's function. We showed that UAP56 is an RNA-stimulated ATPase that can only hydrolyze ATP. We demonstrated that UAP56 is an ATP-dependent RNA helicase that can unwind substrates with 5' or 3' overhangs or blunt ends in vitro. We showed that U2AF(65) and Aly, two proteins known to interact with UAP56, do not influence UAP56's ATPase or helicase activity. We also demonstrated that several mutants in the conserved helicase motifs I, II, and III abolish UAP56's ATPase and/or helicase activity, providing tools for future investigation of the role of UAP56's ATPase and helicase activity in spliceosome assembly and mRNA export.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingping Shen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center, Aurora, Colorado 80045, USA
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17
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Pessa HKJ, Ruokolainen A, Frilander MJ. The abundance of the spliceosomal snRNPs is not limiting the splicing of U12-type introns. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2006; 12:1883-92. [PMID: 16957280 PMCID: PMC1581978 DOI: 10.1261/rna.213906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
The rate of excision of U12-type introns has been reported to be slower than that of U2-type introns, suggesting a rate-limiting bottleneck that could down-regulate genes containing U12-type introns. The mechanistic reasons for this slower rate of intron excision are not known, but lower abundance of the U12-type snRNPs and slower rate of assembly or catalytic activity have been suggested. To investigate snRNP abundance we concentrated on the U4atac snRNA, which is the least abundant of the U12-type snRNAs and is limiting the formation of U4atac/U6atac complex. We identified mouse NIH-3T3 cell line isolates in which the level of both U4atac snRNA and U4atac/U6atac complexes is reduced to 10%-20% of the normal level. We used these cell lines to investigate splicing efficiency by transient transfection of a reporter gene containing a U12-type intron and by quantitative PCR analysis of endogenous genes. The splicing of the reporter U12-type intron was very inefficient, but the activity could be restored by overexpression of U4atac snRNA. Using these U4atac-deficient NIH-3T3 cells, we confirmed the results of previous studies showing that U12-type introns of endogenous genes are, indeed, excised more slowly than U2-type introns, but we found that the rate did not differ from that measured in cells displaying normal levels of U4atac snRNA. Thus our results suggest that the cellular abundance of the snRNPs does not limit U12-type intron splicing under normal conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heli K J Pessa
- Institute of Biotechnology, Program on Developmental Biology, PL56 (Viikinkaari 9), 00014 University of Helsinki, Finland
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18
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Behzadnia N, Hartmuth K, Will CL, Lührmann R. Functional spliceosomal A complexes can be assembled in vitro in the absence of a penta-snRNP. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2006; 12:1738-46. [PMID: 16880538 PMCID: PMC1557700 DOI: 10.1261/rna.120606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2006] [Accepted: 06/12/2006] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Two different models currently exist for the assembly pathway of the spliceosome, namely, the traditional model, in which spliceosomal snRNPs associate in a stepwise, ordered manner with the pre-mRNA, and the holospliceosome model, in which all spliceosomal snRNPs preassemble into a penta-snRNP complex. Here we have tested whether the spliceosomal A complex, which contains solely U1 and U2 snRNPs bound to pre-mRNA, is a functional, bona fide assembly intermediate. Significantly, A complexes affinity-purified from nuclear extract depleted of U4/U6 snRNPs (and thus unable to form a penta-snRNP) supported pre-mRNA splicing in nuclear extract depleted of U2 snRNPs, whereas naked pre-mRNA did not. Mixing experiments with purified A complexes and naked pre-mRNA additionally confirmed that under these conditions, A complexes do not form de novo. Thus, our studies demonstrate that holospliceosome formation is not a prerequisite for generating catalytically active spliceosomes and that, at least in vitro, the U1 and U2 snRNPs can functionally associate with the pre-mRNA, prior to and independent of the tri-snRNP. The ability to isolate functional spliceosomal A complexes paves the way to study in detail subsequent spliceosome assembly steps using purified components.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nastaran Behzadnia
- Department of Cellular Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
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19
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Listerman I, Sapra AK, Neugebauer KM. Cotranscriptional coupling of splicing factor recruitment and precursor messenger RNA splicing in mammalian cells. Nat Struct Mol Biol 2006; 13:815-22. [PMID: 16921380 DOI: 10.1038/nsmb1135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 247] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2006] [Accepted: 07/24/2006] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Coupling between transcription and RNA processing is a key gene regulatory mechanism. Here we use chromatin immunoprecipitation to detect transcription-dependent accumulation of the precursor mRNA (pre-mRNA) splicing factors hnRNP A1, U2AF65 and U1 and U5 snRNPs on the intron-containing human FOS gene. These factors were poorly detected on intronless heat-shock and histone genes, a result that opposes direct recruitment by RNA polymerase II (Pol II) or the cap-binding complex in vivo. However, an observed RNA-dependent interaction between U2AF65 and active forms of Pol II may stabilize U2AF65 binding to intron-containing nascent RNA. We establish chromatin-RNA immunoprecipitation and show that FOS pre-mRNA is cotranscriptionally spliced. Notably, the topoisomerase I inhibitor camptothecin, which stalls elongating Pol II, increased cotranscriptional splicing factor accumulation and splicing in parallel. This provides direct evidence for a kinetic link between transcription, splicing factor recruitment and splicing catalysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Imke Listerman
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Pfotenhauerstrasse 108, 01307 Dresden, Germany
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20
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Tardiff DF, Rosbash M. Arrested yeast splicing complexes indicate stepwise snRNP recruitment during in vivo spliceosome assembly. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2006; 12:968-79. [PMID: 16618970 PMCID: PMC1464846 DOI: 10.1261/rna.50506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2006] [Accepted: 02/06/2006] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Pre-mRNA splicing is catalyzed by the spliceosome, a macromolecular machine dedicated to intron removal and exon ligation. Despite an abundance of in vitro information and a small number of in vivo studies, the pathway of yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) in vivo spliceosome assembly remains uncertain. To address this situation, we combined in vivo depletions of U1, U2, or U5 snRNAs with chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) analysis of other splicing snRNPs along an intron-containing gene. The data indicate that snRNP recruitment to nascent pre-mRNA predominantly proceeds via the canonical three-step assembly pathway: first U1, then U2, and finally the U4/U6*U5 tri-snRNP. Tandem affinity purification (TAP) using a U2 snRNP-tagged protein allowed the characterization of in vivo assembled higher-order splicing complexes. Consistent with an independent snRNP assembly pathway, we observed high levels of U1-U2 prespliceosomes under U5-depletion conditions, and we observed significant levels of a U2/U5/U6/Prp19-complex mature splicing complex under wild-type conditions. These complexes have implications for the steady-state distribution of snRNPs within nuclei and also reinforce the stepwise recruitment of U1, U2, and the tri-snRNP during in vivo spliceosome assembly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel F Tardiff
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Biology Department, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02454, USA
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21
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Bottner CA, Schmidt H, Vogel S, Michele M, Käufer NF. Multiple genetic and biochemical interactions of Brr2, Prp8, Prp31, Prp1 and Prp4 kinase suggest a function in the control of the activation of spliceosomes in Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Curr Genet 2005; 48:151-61. [PMID: 16133344 DOI: 10.1007/s00294-005-0013-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2005] [Revised: 07/05/2005] [Accepted: 07/12/2005] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
The spliceosomal component Prp1 (U5-102 kD) is found in Schizosaccharomyces pombe, a physiological substrate of Prp4 kinase. Here, we identify, spp41-1, a previously isolated extragenic suppressor of Prp4 kinase. The gene encodes an ATP-dependent RNA helicase homologous to the splicing factor Brr2 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and U5-200 kD of mammalia. The suppressor allele, spp41-1, interacts genetically with alleles of prp1. We show that Prp1 and Brr2 are complexed in vivo with spliceosomal particles containing the five snRNAs U1, U2, U5, and base-paired U4/U6. Prp1 was found exclusively in small ribonucleoprotein particle (snRNP) complexes sedimenting in the range of 30S-60S, whereas Brr2 was also found sedimenting lower than 30S and free of snRNAs. Moreover, we find that the splicing factor Prp31 is complexed with Prp1 in the same spliceosomal particles containing the five snRNAs. These data indicate that in fission yeast spliceosomal particles larger than 30S exist, which can be considered as pre-catalytic spliceosomes. In addition, we show that S. pombe cells lacking Prp1 still contain these large pre-catalytic spliceosomal particles associated with Prp31. These data are consistent with the notion that in fission yeast phosphorylation of Prp1 by Prp4 kinase is involved in the activation of pre-catalytic spliceosomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia A Bottner
- Institute of Genetics, Technical University of Braunschweig, Spielmannstrasse 7, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany
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22
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Görnemann J, Kotovic KM, Hujer K, Neugebauer KM. Cotranscriptional spliceosome assembly occurs in a stepwise fashion and requires the cap binding complex. Mol Cell 2005; 19:53-63. [PMID: 15989964 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2005.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 213] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2005] [Revised: 04/05/2005] [Accepted: 05/09/2005] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Coupling between transcription and pre-mRNA splicing is a key regulatory mechanism in gene expression. Here, we investigate cotranscriptional spliceosome assembly in yeast, using in vivo crosslinking to determine the distribution of spliceosome components along intron-containing genes. Accumulation of the U1, U2, and U5 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particles (snRNPs) and the 3' splice site binding factors Mud2p and BBP was detected in patterns indicative of progressive and complete spliceosome assembly; recruitment of the nineteen complex (NTC) component Prp19p suggests that splicing catalysis is also cotranscriptional. The separate dynamics of the U1, U2, and U5 snRNPs are consistent with stepwise recruitment of individual snRNPs rather than a preformed "penta-snRNP", as recently proposed. Finally, we show that the cap binding complex (CBC) is necessary, but not sufficient, for cotranscriptional spliceosome assembly. Thus, the demonstration of an essential link between CBC and spliceosome assembly in vivo indicates that 5' end capping couples pre-mRNA splicing to transcription.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janina Görnemann
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Pfotenhauerstrasse 108, 01307 Dresden, Germany
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23
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Giles KE, Beemon KL. Retroviral splicing suppressor sequesters a 3' splice site in a 50S aberrant splicing complex. Mol Cell Biol 2005; 25:4397-405. [PMID: 15899846 PMCID: PMC1140646 DOI: 10.1128/mcb.25.11.4397-4405.2005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Retroviral replication requires both spliced and unspliced mRNAs. Splicing suppression of avian retroviral RNA depends in part upon a cis-acting element within the gag gene called the negative regulator of splicing (NRS). The NRS, linked to a downstream intron and exon (NRS-Ad3'), was not capable of splicing in vitro. However, a double-point mutation in the NRS pseudo-5' splice site sequence converted it into a functional 5' splice site. The wild-type (WT) NRS-Ad3' transcript assembled an approximately 50S spliceosome-like complex in vitro; its sedimentation rate was similar to that of a functional spliceosome formed on the mutant NRS-Ad3' RNA. The five major spliceosomal snRNPs were observed in both complexes by affinity selection. In addition, U11 snRNP was present only in the WT NRS-Ad3' complex. Addition of heparin to these complexes destabilized the WT NRS-Ad3' complex; it was incapable of forming a B complex on a native gel. Furthermore, the U5 snRNP protein, hPrp8, did not cross-link to the NRS pseudo-5' splice site, suggesting that the tri-snRNP complex was not properly associated with it. We propose that this aberrant, stalled spliceosome, containing U1, U2, and U11 snRNPs and a loosely associated tri-snRNP, sequesters the 3' splice site and prevents its interaction with the authentic 5' splice site upstream of the NRS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keith E Giles
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
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24
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Frilander MJ, Meng X. Proximity of the U12 snRNA with both the 5' splice site and the branch point during early stages of spliceosome assembly. Mol Cell Biol 2005; 25:4813-25. [PMID: 15923601 PMCID: PMC1140575 DOI: 10.1128/mcb.25.12.4813-4825.2005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
U12 snRNA is required for branch point recognition in the U12-dependent spliceosome. Using site-specific cross-linking, we have captured an unexpected interaction between the 5' end of the U12 snRNA and the -2 position upstream of the 5' splice site of P120 and SCN4a splicing substrates. The U12 snRNA nucleotides that contact the 5' exon are the same ones that form the catalytically important helix Ib with U6atac snRNA in the spliceosome catalytic core. However, the U12/5' exon interaction is transient, occurring prior to the entry of the U4atac/U6atac.U5 tri-snRNP to the spliceosome. This suggests that the helix Ib region of U12 snRNA is positioned near the 5' splice site early during spliceosome assembly and only later interacts with U6atac to form helix Ib. We also provide evidence that U12 snRNA can simultaneously interact with 5' exon sequences near 5' splice site and the branch point sequence, suggesting that the 5' splice site and branch point sequences are separated by <40 to 50 A in the complex A of the U12-dependent spliceosome. Thus, no major rearrangements are subsequently needed to position these sites for the first step of catalysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikko J Frilander
- Institute of Biotechnology, Program on Developmental Biology, PL56 (Viikinkaari 9), 00014 University of Helsinki, Finland.
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25
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Hass M, Hannoun C, Kalinina T, Sommer G, Manegold C, Günther S. Functional analysis of hepatitis B virus reactivating in hepatitis B surface antigen-negative individuals. Hepatology 2005; 42:93-103. [PMID: 15962285 DOI: 10.1002/hep.20748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The biological properties of latent or occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) have been poorly characterized as a result of the extremely low virus concentration. This report describes the phenotype of HBV reactivating in two patients after an HBsAg-negative latency period. One patient had latent HBV infection for at least 12 years without detectable viremia and symptoms of liver disease. Several full-length HBV genomes were cloned at reactivation, sequenced, and functionally tested by transfection into HuH7 cells. Genomes from both patients showed a low replication phenotype. It was caused at the level of RNA encapsidation or HBV DNA synthesis, but was not attributable to uncommon mutations in the terminal protein domain of P protein. A substantial subpopulation ( approximately 50%) of genomes from one patient did not express pre-S2/S mRNA and HBsAg. Site-directed mutagenesis identified a single G-A mutation within the S gene (position 458) to be responsible for this effect. The G458A mutation was also effective if the S gene was placed under control of a heterologous promoter. Furthermore, nuclear run-on transcription showed that the G458A mutation acts at the posttranscriptional level. The mutation affected a 5' splice site and prevented splicing of the pre-S2/S mRNA from position 458 to 1305. In conclusion, HBV latency may be characterized by viruses with reduced replication competence and antigen expression. In one patient, HBsAg expression was terminated by an as yet undescribed posttranscriptional mechanism. A single mutation inactivated a 5' splice site that is obviously essential for pre-S2/S mRNA accumulation. Supplementary material for this article can be found on the HEPATOLOGY website (http://www.interscience.wiley.com/jpages/0270-9139/suppmat/index.html).
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Affiliation(s)
- Meike Hass
- Department of Virology, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
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26
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Abstract
Pre-messenger RNA (pre-mRNA) splicing is a central step in gene expression. Lying between transcription and protein synthesis, pre-mRNA splicing removes sequences (introns) that would otherwise disrupt the coding potential of intron-containing transcripts. This process takes place in the nucleus, catalyzed by a large RNA-protein complex called the spliceosome. Prp8p, one of the largest and most highly conserved of nuclear proteins, occupies a central position in the catalytic core of the spliceosome, and has been implicated in several crucial molecular rearrangements that occur there. Recently, Prp8p has also come under the spotlight for its role in the inherited human disease, Retinitis Pigmentosa.Prp8 is unique, having no obvious homology to other proteins; however, using bioinformatical analysis we reveal the presence of a conserved RNA recognition motif (RRM), an MPN/JAB domain and a putative nuclear localization signal (NLS). Here, we review biochemical and genetical data, mostly related to the human and yeast proteins, that describe Prp8's central role within the spliceosome and its molecular interactions during spliceosome formation, as splicing proceeds, and in post-splicing complexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard J Grainger
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Biology, University of Edinburgh, King's Buildings, Mayfield Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JR, United Kingdom
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27
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Zhao R, Shen J, Green MR, MacMorris M, Blumenthal T. Crystal structure of UAP56, a DExD/H-box protein involved in pre-mRNA splicing and mRNA export. Structure 2005; 12:1373-81. [PMID: 15296731 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2004.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2004] [Revised: 06/08/2004] [Accepted: 06/08/2004] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
UAP56 is an essential eukaryotic pre-mRNA splicing factor and mRNA export factor. The mechanisms of its functions are not well understood. We determined the crystal structures of the N- and C-terminal domains of human UAP56 (comprising 90% of the full-length UAP56) at 1.9 A resolution. The two domains each have a RecA-like fold and are connected by a flexible linker. The overall fold of each domain is highly similar to the corresponding domains of eIF4A (a prototypic DExD/H-box protein), with differences at the loops and termini. This structural similarity suggests that UAP56 is likely to possess ATPase and helicase activity similar to eIF4A. The NTP binding pocket of UAP56 is occupied by a citrate ion, mimicking the phosphates of NTP and retaining the P loop in an open conformation. The crystal structure of the N-terminal domain of UAP56 also reveals a dimer interface that is potentially important for UAP56's function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Zhao
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Aurora, Colorado 80045, USA.
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28
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Abstract
In higher eukaryotes, introns are spliced out of protein-coding mRNAs by the spliceosome, a massive complex comprising five non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) and about 200 proteins. By comparing the differences between spliceosomal proteins from many basal eukaryotic lineages, it is possible to infer properties of the splicing system in the last common ancestor of extant eukaryotes, the eukaryotic ancestor. We begin with the hypothesis that, similar to intron length (that appears to have increased in multicellular eukaryotes), the spliceosome has increased in complexity throughout eukaryotic evolution. However, examination of the distribution of spliceosomal components indicates that not only was a spliceosome present in the eukaryotic ancestor but it also contained most of the key components found in today's eukaryotes. All the small nuclear ribonucleoproteins (snRNPs) protein components are likely to have been present, as well as many splicing-related proteins. Both major and trans-splicing are likely to have been present, and the spliceosome had already formed links with other cellular processes such as transcription and capping. However, there is no evidence as yet to suggest that minor (U12-dependent) splicing was present in the eukaryotic ancestor. Although the last common ancestor of extant eukaryotes appears to show much of the molecular complexity seen today, we do not, from this work, infer anything of the properties of the earlier "first eukaryote."
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Affiliation(s)
- Lesley Collins
- Allan Wilson Centre for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
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29
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Abstract
RNA is structurally very flexible, which provides the basis for its functional diversity. An RNA molecule can often adopt different conformations, which enables the regulation of its function through folding. Proteins help RNAs reach their functionally active conformation by increasing their structural stability or by chaperoning the folding process. Large, dynamic RNA-protein complexes, such as the ribosome or the spliceosome, require numerous proteins that coordinate conformational switches of the RNA components during assembly and during their respective activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renée Schroeder
- Max F. Perutz Laboratories, Department of Microbiology and Genetics, University of Vienna, Austria.
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30
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Du H, Tardiff DF, Moore MJ, Rosbash M. Effects of the U1C L13 mutation and temperature regulation of yeast commitment complex formation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2004; 101:14841-6. [PMID: 15465910 PMCID: PMC522046 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0406319101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The U1 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particle U1C protein has a zinc finger-like structure (C2H2 motif) at its N terminus, which is conserved from yeast to humans. Mutations of amino acid L13 within this domain rescue the essential function of the helicase protein Prp28p. Prp28p has been implicated in unwinding the 5' splice site (5'ss)-U1 small nuclear RNA (snRNA) base-pairing, to allow replacement of U1 snRNA with U6 snRNA during spliceosome assembly. The L13 phenotype has therefore been interpreted to indicate that WT U1C contributes to 5'ss-U1 snRNA stabilization by binding to the RNA duplex. We show here that an L13 mutant extract cannot form stable base-pairing at room temperature but is permissive for U1-5'ss base-pairing at low temperature. This phenotype is similar to that of a U1C-depleted extract, indicating that the U1C L13 mutation is a strong loss-of-function mutation. The two mutant extracts are unlike a WT extract, which undergoes stable pairing at room temperature but little or no pairing at low temperature. Taken together with previous results and the failure to observe a direct interaction of U1C with the U1-5'ss duplex, the data suggest that U1C contributes indirectly to stable U1-5'ss base-pairing under permissive conditions. A model is proposed to account for the L13 results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hansen Du
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biology, Brandeis University, MS008, 415 South Street, Waltham, MA 02454, USA
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31
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Buratti E, Baralle M, De Conti L, Baralle D, Romano M, Ayala YM, Baralle FE. hnRNP H binding at the 5' splice site correlates with the pathological effect of two intronic mutations in the NF-1 and TSHbeta genes. Nucleic Acids Res 2004; 32:4224-36. [PMID: 15299088 PMCID: PMC514374 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkh752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
We have recently reported a disease-causing substitution (+5G > C) at the donor site of NF-1 exon 3 that produces its skipping. We have now studied in detail the splicing mechanism involved in analyzing RNA-protein complexes at several 5' splice sites. Characteristic protein patterns were observed by pulldown and band-shift/super-shift analysis. Here, we show that hnRNP H binds specifically to the wild-type GGGgu donor sequence of the NF-1 exon 3. Depletion analyses shows that this protein restricts the accessibility of U1 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein (U1snRNA) to the donor site. In this context, the +5G > C mutation abolishes both U1snRNP base pairing and the 5' splice site (5'ss) function. However, exon recognition in the mutant can be rescued by disrupting the binding of hnRNP H, demonstrating that this protein enhances the effects of the +5G > C substitution. Significantly, a similar situation was found for a second disease-causing +5G > A substitution in the 5'ss of TSHbeta exon 2, which harbors a GGgu donor sequence. Thus, the reason why similar nucleotide substitutions can be either neutral or very disruptive of splicing function can be explained by the presence of specific binding signatures depending on local contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emanuele Buratti
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, 34012 Trieste, Italy
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Ryan DE, Kim CH, Murray JB, Adams CJ, Stockley PG, Abelson J. New tertiary constraints between the RNA components of active yeast spliceosomes: a photo-crosslinking study. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2004; 10:1251-65. [PMID: 15272121 PMCID: PMC1370615 DOI: 10.1261/rna.7060404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2004] [Accepted: 04/30/2004] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Elucidation of the three-dimensional (3D) structures of the two sequential active sites in spliceosomes is essential for understanding the mechanism of premessenger RNA splicing. The mechanism is predicted to be catalyzed by the small nuclear RNA (snRNA) components of spliceosomes. To obtain new tertiary constraints between the RNA components, we produced and mapped crosslinks between U6 snRNA and the proximal RNAs of active yeast spliceosomes ("yeast" in this report is Saccharomyces cerevisiae). Thus, specific sites in U6, when substituted with a photoreactive 4-thiouridine or 5-iodouridine, produced spliceosome-dependent crosslinks to U2 snRNA, or in one case, to the pre-mRNA substrate. One set of U2-U6 crosslinks formed before the Prp2p-dependent step of spliceosome assembly, whereas another set formed during or after this step but before the first chemical step of splicing. This latter set of crosslinks formed across U2-U6 helix I. Importantly, this set provides new tertiary constraints for developing 3D models of fully assembled yeast spliceosomes, which are poised for the first chemical step of splicing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel E Ryan
- Division of Biology 147-75, California Institute of Technology, Pasedena 91125, USA.
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Carmel I, Tal S, Vig I, Ast G. Comparative analysis detects dependencies among the 5' splice-site positions. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2004; 10:828-840. [PMID: 15100438 PMCID: PMC1370573 DOI: 10.1261/rna.5196404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 156] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2003] [Accepted: 02/04/2004] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Human-mouse comparative genomics is an informative tool to assess sequence functionality as inferred from its conservation level. We used this approach to examine dependency among different positions of the 5' splice site. We compiled a data set of 50,493 homologous human-mouse internal exons and analyzed the frequency of changes among different positions of homologous human-mouse 5' splice-site pairs. We found mutual relationships between positions +4 and +5, +5 and +6, -2 and +5, and -1 and +5. We also demonstrated the association between the exonic and the intronic positions of the 5' splice site, in which a stronger interaction of U1 snRNA and the intronic portion of the 5' splice site compensates for weak interaction of U1 snRNA and the exonic portion of the 5' splice site, and vice versa. By using an ex vivo system that mimics the effect of mutation in the 5' splice site leading to familial dysautonomia, we demonstrated that U1 snRNA base-pairing with positions +6 and -1 is the only functional requirement for mRNA splicing of this 5' splice site. Our findings indicate the importance of U1 snRNA base-pairing to the exonic portion of the 5' splice site.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ido Carmel
- Department of Human Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv 69978, Israel
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Abstract
Several approaches have been used to identify the factors involved in mRNA splicing. None of them, however, comprises a straightforward reversible method for inhibiting the second step of splicing using an external reagent other than a chelator. This investigation demonstrates that the addition of boric acid to an in vitro pre-mRNA splicing reaction causes a dose-dependent reversible inhibition effect on the second step of splicing. The mechanism of action does not involve chelation of several metal ions; hindrance of 3' splice-site; or binding to hSlu7. This study presents a novel method for specific reversible inhibition of the second step of pre-mRNA splicing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noam Shomron
- Department of Human Genetics, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, 69978 Tel Aviv, Ramat Aviv, Israel
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