Skip to main content
PMC home page
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1994 Oct 25;91(22):10470–10474. doi: 10.1073/pnas.91.22.10470

Suppression of mammalian 5' splice-site defects by U1 small nuclear RNAs from a distance.

J B Cohen 1, J E Snow 1, S D Spencer 1, A D Levinson 1
PMCID: PMC45042  PMID: 7937977

Abstract

One of the earliest events in the process of intron removal from mRNA precursors is the establishment of a base-pairing interaction between U1 small nuclear (sn) RNA and the 5' splice site. Mutations at the 5' splice site that prevent splicing can often be suppressed by coexpression of U1 snRNAs with compensatory changes, but in yeast, accurate splicing is not restored when the universally conserved first intron base is changed. In our mammalian system as well, such a mutation could not be suppressed, but the complementary U1 caused aberrant splicing 12 bases downstream. This result is reminiscent of observations in yeast that aberrant 5' splice sites can be activated by U1 snRNA from a distance. Using a rapid, qualitative protein expression assay, we provide evidence that 5' splice-site mutations can be suppressed in mammalian cells by U1 snRNAs with complementarity to a range of sequences upstream or downstream of the site. Our approach uncouples in vivo the commitment-activation step of mammalian splicing from the process of 5' splice-site definition and as such will facilitate the genetic characterization of both.

Full text

PDF
10472

Images in this article

10472Image
on p.10472
10472Image
on p.10472
10473Image
on p.10473
10473Image
on p.10473

Selected References

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

  1. Barabino S. M., Blencowe B. J., Ryder U., Sproat B. S., Lamond A. I. Targeted snRNP depletion reveals an additional role for mammalian U1 snRNP in spliceosome assembly. Cell. 1990 Oct 19;63(2):293–302. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(90)90162-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bennett M., Reed R. Correspondence between a mammalian spliceosome component and an essential yeast splicing factor. Science. 1993 Oct 1;262(5130):105–108. doi: 10.1126/science.8211113. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Brosi R., Gröning K., Behrens S. E., Lührmann R., Krämer A. Interaction of mammalian splicing factor SF3a with U2 snRNP and relation of its 60-kD subunit to yeast PRP9. Science. 1993 Oct 1;262(5130):102–105. doi: 10.1126/science.8211112. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Cohen J. B., Broz S. D., Levinson A. D. Expression of the H-ras proto-oncogene is controlled by alternative splicing. Cell. 1989 Aug 11;58(3):461–472. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(89)90427-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Cohen J. B., Broz S. D., Levinson A. D. U1 small nuclear RNAs with altered specificity can be stably expressed in mammalian cells and promote permanent changes in pre-mRNA splicing. Mol Cell Biol. 1993 May;13(5):2666–2676. doi: 10.1128/mcb.13.5.2666. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Fu X. D., Maniatis T. The 35-kDa mammalian splicing factor SC35 mediates specific interactions between U1 and U2 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particles at the 3' splice site. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1992 Mar 1;89(5):1725–1729. doi: 10.1073/pnas.89.5.1725. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Fu X. D. Specific commitment of different pre-mRNAs to splicing by single SR proteins. Nature. 1993 Sep 2;365(6441):82–85. doi: 10.1038/365082a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Ge H., Manley J. L. A protein factor, ASF, controls cell-specific alternative splicing of SV40 early pre-mRNA in vitro. Cell. 1990 Jul 13;62(1):25–34. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(90)90236-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Green M. R. Biochemical mechanisms of constitutive and regulated pre-mRNA splicing. Annu Rev Cell Biol. 1991;7:559–599. doi: 10.1146/annurev.cb.07.110191.003015. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Guthrie C. Messenger RNA splicing in yeast: clues to why the spliceosome is a ribonucleoprotein. Science. 1991 Jul 12;253(5016):157–163. doi: 10.1126/science.1853200. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Hoffman B. E., Grabowski P. J. U1 snRNP targets an essential splicing factor, U2AF65, to the 3' splice site by a network of interactions spanning the exon. Genes Dev. 1992 Dec;6(12B):2554–2568. doi: 10.1101/gad.6.12b.2554. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Kandels-Lewis S., Séraphin B. Involvement of U6 snRNA in 5' splice site selection. Science. 1993 Dec 24;262(5142):2035–2039. doi: 10.1126/science.8266100. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Kohtz J. D., Jamison S. F., Will C. L., Zuo P., Lührmann R., Garcia-Blanco M. A., Manley J. L. Protein-protein interactions and 5'-splice-site recognition in mammalian mRNA precursors. Nature. 1994 Mar 10;368(6467):119–124. doi: 10.1038/368119a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Krainer A. R., Conway G. C., Kozak D. The essential pre-mRNA splicing factor SF2 influences 5' splice site selection by activating proximal sites. Cell. 1990 Jul 13;62(1):35–42. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(90)90237-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Lavigueur A., La Branche H., Kornblihtt A. R., Chabot B. A splicing enhancer in the human fibronectin alternate ED1 exon interacts with SR proteins and stimulates U2 snRNP binding. Genes Dev. 1993 Dec;7(12A):2405–2417. doi: 10.1101/gad.7.12a.2405. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Lesser C. F., Guthrie C. Mutations in U6 snRNA that alter splice site specificity: implications for the active site. Science. 1993 Dec 24;262(5142):1982–1988. doi: 10.1126/science.8266093. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Mattaj I. W., Séraphin B. Picking the needle from the haystack. Curr Biol. 1992 Jul;2(7):363–365. doi: 10.1016/0960-9822(92)90065-i. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Mayeda A., Krainer A. R. Regulation of alternative pre-mRNA splicing by hnRNP A1 and splicing factor SF2. Cell. 1992 Jan 24;68(2):365–375. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(92)90477-t. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Michaud S., Reed R. A functional association between the 5' and 3' splice site is established in the earliest prespliceosome complex (E) in mammals. Genes Dev. 1993 Jun;7(6):1008–1020. doi: 10.1101/gad.7.6.1008. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Michaud S., Reed R. An ATP-independent complex commits pre-mRNA to the mammalian spliceosome assembly pathway. Genes Dev. 1991 Dec;5(12B):2534–2546. doi: 10.1101/gad.5.12b.2534. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Mount S. M. A catalogue of splice junction sequences. Nucleic Acids Res. 1982 Jan 22;10(2):459–472. doi: 10.1093/nar/10.2.459. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. 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]
  23. Newman A., Norman C. Mutations in yeast U5 snRNA alter the specificity of 5' splice-site cleavage. Cell. 1991 Apr 5;65(1):115–123. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(91)90413-s. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Ohshima Y., Gotoh Y. Signals for the selection of a splice site in pre-mRNA. Computer analysis of splice junction sequences and like sequences. J Mol Biol. 1987 May 20;195(2):247–259. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(87)90647-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Robberson B. L., Cote G. J., Berget S. M. Exon definition may facilitate splice site selection in RNAs with multiple exons. Mol Cell Biol. 1990 Jan;10(1):84–94. doi: 10.1128/mcb.10.1.84. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Rosbash M., Séraphin B. Who's on first? The U1 snRNP-5' splice site interaction and splicing. Trends Biochem Sci. 1991 May;16(5):187–190. doi: 10.1016/0968-0004(91)90073-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Ruby S. W., Abelson J. Pre-mRNA splicing in yeast. Trends Genet. 1991 Mar;7(3):79–85. doi: 10.1016/0168-9525(91)90276-V. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Ruskin B., Zamore P. D., Green M. R. A factor, U2AF, is required for U2 snRNP binding and splicing complex assembly. Cell. 1988 Jan 29;52(2):207–219. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(88)90509-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Siliciano P. G., Guthrie C. 5' splice site selection in yeast: genetic alterations in base-pairing with U1 reveal additional requirements. Genes Dev. 1988 Oct;2(10):1258–1267. doi: 10.1101/gad.2.10.1258. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. 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]
  31. Sun Q., Mayeda A., Hampson R. K., Krainer A. R., Rottman F. M. General splicing factor SF2/ASF promotes alternative splicing by binding to an exonic splicing enhancer. Genes Dev. 1993 Dec;7(12B):2598–2608. doi: 10.1101/gad.7.12b.2598. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  32. Suva L. J., Winslow G. A., Wettenhall R. E., Hammonds R. G., Moseley J. M., Diefenbach-Jagger H., Rodda C. P., Kemp B. E., Rodriguez H., Chen E. Y. A parathyroid hormone-related protein implicated in malignant hypercalcemia: cloning and expression. Science. 1987 Aug 21;237(4817):893–896. doi: 10.1126/science.3616618. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  33. Séraphin B., Kretzner L., Rosbash M. A U1 snRNA:pre-mRNA base pairing interaction is required early in yeast spliceosome assembly but does not uniquely define the 5' cleavage site. EMBO J. 1988 Aug;7(8):2533–2538. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1988.tb03101.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  34. Séraphin B., Rosbash M. Exon mutations uncouple 5' splice site selection from U1 snRNA pairing. Cell. 1990 Nov 2;63(3):619–629. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(90)90457-p. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  35. Vieira J., Messing J. Production of single-stranded plasmid DNA. Methods Enzymol. 1987;153:3–11. doi: 10.1016/0076-6879(87)53044-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  36. Wassarman D. A., Steitz J. A. Interactions of small nuclear RNA's with precursor messenger RNA during in vitro splicing. Science. 1992 Sep 25;257(5078):1918–1925. doi: 10.1126/science.1411506. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  37. Wise J. A. Guides to the heart of the spliceosome. Science. 1993 Dec 24;262(5142):1978–1979. doi: 10.1126/science.8266091. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  38. Woolford J. L., Jr Nuclear pre-mRNA splicing in yeast. Yeast. 1989 Nov-Dec;5(6):439–457. doi: 10.1002/yea.320050604. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  39. Wyatt J. R., Sontheimer E. J., Steitz J. A. Site-specific cross-linking of mammalian U5 snRNP to the 5' splice site before the first step of pre-mRNA splicing. Genes Dev. 1992 Dec;6(12B):2542–2553. doi: 10.1101/gad.6.12b.2542. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  40. Xu R., Teng J., Cooper T. A. The cardiac troponin T alternative exon contains a novel purine-rich positive splicing element. Mol Cell Biol. 1993 Jun;13(6):3660–3674. doi: 10.1128/mcb.13.6.3660. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  41. Zhuang Y., Weiner A. M. A compensatory base change in U1 snRNA suppresses a 5' splice site mutation. Cell. 1986 Sep 12;46(6):827–835. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(86)90064-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America are provided here courtesy of National Academy of Sciences

RESOURCES