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. 1987 Mar 11;15(5):1905–1920. doi: 10.1093/nar/15.5.1905

Characterization of an authentic intermediate in the self-splicing process of ribosomal precursor RNA in macronuclei of Tetrahymena thermophila.

K P Kister, W A Eckert
PMCID: PMC340607  PMID: 3645543

Abstract

We have characterized a 1.5 kb RNA species in T. thermophila macronuclei previously found in vivo and including intron sequences linked to the 3' exon. This IVS-3' exon RNA could be detected in gels as a discrete molecule only after denaturation of nuclear RNA. After addition of 32P-GTP, as splicing cofactor in a nuclear in vitro system, the IVS-3' exon RNA was labeled at its 5' terminus, as was the by-product of splicing, the excised IVS RNA. The time course of labeling indicates that the IVS-3' exon RNA acts like a reaction intermediate and specifically a kinetic precursor to IVS RNA. Partial nuclease digestions showed that the IVS-3' exon RNA and the IVS RNA have the same 5' terminal sequence. In addition the IVS-3' exon RNA can release the 15-mer oligonucleotide cleaved off during circularization of IVS RNA under conditions of high temperature. Taken together, the structural, functional, and kinetic properties of the IVS-3' exon RNA strongly suggest that it represents a previously postulated in vivo intermediate in the splicing pathway.

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Selected References

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

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