Skip to main content
PMC home page
The EMBO Journal logoLink to The EMBO Journal
. 1997 Oct 1;16(19):5797–5800. doi: 10.1093/emboj/16.19.5797

The role of U5 snRNP in pre-mRNA splicing.

A J Newman 1
PMCID: PMC1170210  PMID: 9312037

Abstract

The current model for the function of the U5 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particle (snRNP) in the spliceosome proposes that U5 carries binding sites for the 5' and 3' exons, allowing the spliceosome to 'tether' the 5' exon intermediate produced by the first catalytic step and align it with the 3' exon for the second step. Functional analysis of U5 snRNA in cis-spliceosomes has provided support for this model, and data from nematode and trypanosome splicing systems suggest that U5 or a U5-like snRNA performs a similar role in trans-splicing.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (115.0 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Ast G., Weiner A. M. A novel U1/U5 interaction indicates proximity between U1 and U5 snRNAs during an early step of mRNA splicing. RNA. 1997 Apr;3(4):371–381. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Cortes J. J., Sontheimer E. J., Seiwert S. D., Steitz J. A. Mutations in the conserved loop of human U5 snRNA generate use of novel cryptic 5' splice sites in vivo. EMBO J. 1993 Dec 15;12(13):5181–5189. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1993.tb06213.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Field D. J., Friesen J. D. Functionally redundant interactions between U2 and U6 spliceosomal snRNAs. Genes Dev. 1996 Feb 15;10(4):489–501. doi: 10.1101/gad.10.4.489. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Hodges P. E., Jackson S. P., Brown J. D., Beggs J. D. Extraordinary sequence conservation of the PRP8 splicing factor. Yeast. 1995 Apr 15;11(4):337–342. doi: 10.1002/yea.320110406. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Laggerbauer B., Lauber J., Lührmann R. Identification of an RNA-dependent ATPase activity in mammalian U5 snRNPs. Nucleic Acids Res. 1996 Mar 1;24(5):868–875. doi: 10.1093/nar/24.5.868. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Lauber J., Fabrizio P., Teigelkamp S., Lane W. S., Hartmann E., Luhrmann R. The HeLa 200 kDa U5 snRNP-specific protein and its homologue in Saccharomyces cerevisiae are members of the DEXH-box protein family of putative RNA helicases. EMBO J. 1996 Aug 1;15(15):4001–4015. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Lücke S., Klöckner T., Palfi Z., Boshart M., Bindereif A. Trans mRNA splicing in trypanosomes: cloning and analysis of a PRP8-homologous gene from Trypanosoma brucei provides evidence for a U5-analogous RNP. EMBO J. 1997 Jul 16;16(14):4433–4440. doi: 10.1093/emboj/16.14.4433. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. MacMillan A. M., Query C. C., Allerson C. R., Chen S., Verdine G. L., Sharp P. A. Dynamic association of proteins with the pre-mRNA branch region. Genes Dev. 1994 Dec 15;8(24):3008–3020. doi: 10.1101/gad.8.24.3008. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Madhani H. D., Guthrie C. A novel base-pairing interaction between U2 and U6 snRNAs suggests a mechanism for the catalytic activation of the spliceosome. Cell. 1992 Nov 27;71(5):803–817. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(92)90556-r. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Madhani H. D., Guthrie C. Dynamic RNA-RNA interactions in the spliceosome. Annu Rev Genet. 1994;28:1–26. doi: 10.1146/annurev.ge.28.120194.000245. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Maroney P. A., Yu Y. T., Jankowska M., Nilsen T. W. Direct analysis of nematode cis- and trans-spliceosomes: a functional role for U5 snRNA in spliced leader addition trans-splicing and the identification of novel Sm snRNPs. RNA. 1996 Aug;2(8):735–745. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Michel F., Ferat J. L. Structure and activities of group II introns. Annu Rev Biochem. 1995;64:435–461. doi: 10.1146/annurev.bi.64.070195.002251. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Newman A. J., Norman C. U5 snRNA interacts with exon sequences at 5' and 3' splice sites. Cell. 1992 Feb 21;68(4):743–754. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(92)90149-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Newman A. J., Teigelkamp S., Beggs J. D. snRNA interactions at 5' and 3' splice sites monitored by photoactivated crosslinking in yeast spliceosomes. RNA. 1995 Nov;1(9):968–980. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Nilsen T. W. RNA-RNA interactions in the spliceosome: unraveling the ties that bind. Cell. 1994 Jul 15;78(1):1–4. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(94)90563-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. O'Keefe R. T., Norman C., Newman A. J. The invariant U5 snRNA loop 1 sequence is dispensable for the first catalytic step of pre-mRNA splicing in yeast. Cell. 1996 Aug 23;86(4):679–689. doi: 10.1016/s0092-8674(00)80140-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Reyes J. L., Kois P., Konforti B. B., Konarska M. M. The canonical GU dinucleotide at the 5' splice site is recognized by p220 of the U5 snRNP within the spliceosome. RNA. 1996 Mar;2(3):213–225. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Sharp P. A. "Five easy pieces". Science. 1991 Nov 1;254(5032):663–663. doi: 10.1126/science.1948046. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Sontheimer E. J., Steitz J. A. The U5 and U6 small nuclear RNAs as active site components of the spliceosome. Science. 1993 Dec 24;262(5142):1989–1996. doi: 10.1126/science.8266094. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Sun J. S., Manley J. L. A novel U2-U6 snRNA structure is necessary for mammalian mRNA splicing. Genes Dev. 1995 Apr 1;9(7):843–854. doi: 10.1101/gad.9.7.843. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Tarn W. Y., Steitz J. A. Pre-mRNA splicing: the discovery of a new spliceosome doubles the challenge. Trends Biochem Sci. 1997 Apr;22(4):132–137. doi: 10.1016/s0968-0004(97)01018-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Umen J. G., Guthrie C. A novel role for a U5 snRNP protein in 3' splice site selection. Genes Dev. 1995 Apr 1;9(7):855–868. doi: 10.1101/gad.9.7.855. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Umen J. G., Guthrie C. Mutagenesis of the yeast gene PRP8 reveals domains governing the specificity and fidelity of 3' splice site selection. Genetics. 1996 Jun;143(2):723–739. doi: 10.1093/genetics/143.2.723. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Weiner A. M. mRNA splicing and autocatalytic introns: distant cousins or the products of chemical determinism? Cell. 1993 Jan 29;72(2):161–164. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(93)90654-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The EMBO Journal are provided here courtesy of Nature Publishing Group

RESOURCES