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. 1993 Oct;13(10):5990–5998. doi: 10.1128/mcb.13.10.5990

A U3 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein-requiring processing event in the 5' external transcribed spacer of Xenopus precursor rRNA.

E B Mougey 1, L K Pape 1, B Sollner-Webb 1
PMCID: PMC364653  PMID: 8413202

Abstract

A processing site has been identified within the 5' external transcribed spacer (ETS) of Xenopus laevis and X. borealis pre-RNAs, and this in vivo processing can be reproduced in vitro. It involves a stable and specific association of the pre-rRNA with factors in the cell extract, including at least four RNA-contacting polypeptides, yielding a distinct complex that sediments at 20S. Processing also requires the U3 small nuclear RNA. This processing, at residue +105 of the 713-nucleotide X. laevis 5' ETS, is highly reminiscent of the initial processing cleavage of mouse pre-rRNA within its 3.5-kb 5' ETS, previously thought to be mammal specific. The frog and mouse processing signals share a short essential sequence motif, and mouse factors can faithfully process the frog pre-rRNA. This conservation suggests that this 5' ETS processing site serves an evolutionarily selective function.

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