Communication of the position of exon-exon junctions to the mRNA surveillance machinery by the protein RNPS1

In mammalian cells, splice junctions play a dual role in mRNA quality control: They mediate selective nuclear export of mature mRNA and they serve as a mark for mRNA surveillance, which subjects aberrant mRNAs with premature termination codons to nonsense-mediated decay (NMD). Here, we demonstrate that the protein RNPS1, a component of the postsplicing complex that is deposited 5' to exon-exon junctions, interacts with the evolutionarily conserved human Upf complex, a central component of NMD. Significantly, RNPS1 triggers NMD when tethered to the 3' untranslated region of beta-globin mRNA, demonstrating its role as a subunit of the postsplicing complex directly involved in mRNA surveillance.     

Genome-wide survey of human alternative pre-mRNA splicing with exon junction microarrays

Alternative pre-messenger RNA (pre-mRNA) splicing plays important roles in development, physiology, and disease, and more than half of human genes are alternatively spliced. To understand the biological roles and regulation of alternative splicing across different tissues and stages of development, systematic methods are needed. Here, we demonstrate the use of microarrays to monitor splicing at every exon-exon junction in more than 10,000 multi-exon human genes in 52 tissues and cell lines. These genome-wide data provide experimental evidence and tissue distributions for thousands of known and novel alternative splicing events. Adding to previous studies, the results indicate that at least 74% of human multi-exon genes are alternatively spliced.     

人类1号染色体可变剪接与普通剪接基因同义密码子的使用分析I.同义密码子偏爱使用分析

人类1号染色体可变剪接(选择性剪接)基因344非冗余蛋白质编码序列(188183密码子)和普通剪接(非可变剪接)基因的386蛋白质编码序列(223116密码子)被用于研究人类密码子使用偏爱模式.全部密码子使用数据分析表明,人类可变剪接基因密码子的偏爱水平显著高于普通剪接基因.在人类1号染色体基因中,密码子第三位置的G C含量有很大的异质性(0.24～0.95),并且可变剪接基因密码子第三位置平均G C含量(64.66%)大于普通剪接基因(59.97%).Nc值对GC3s图显示密码子偏爱使用除了受核苷酸组成制约外,其它的因子可能也影响密码子的使用变化.此外,可变剪接基因中以G 或C结尾的密码子比普通剪接基因出现的频率高.密码子使用的差异可能是由可变剪接基因pre-mRNA特有的结构特征和多种剪接模式决定的.     

Regulated splicing of the Drosophila P transposable element third intron in vitro: somatic repression

In eukaryotic cells alternative splicing of messenger RNA precursors (pre-mRNA's) is a means of regulating gene expression. Although a number of the components that participate in regulating some alternative splicing events have been identified by molecular genetic procedures, the elucidation of the biochemical mechanisms governing alternative splicing requires in vitro reaction systems. The tissue specificity of P element transposition in Drosophila depends on the germline restriction of pre-mRNA splicing of the P element third intron (IVS3). Drosophila P element IVS3 pre-mRNA substrates were spliced accurately in vitro in heterologous human cell extracts but not in Drosophila somatic cell splicing extracts. Components in Drosophila somatic cell extracts that specifically inhibited IVS3 splicing in vitro were detected by a complementation assay. Biochemical assays for Drosophila RNA binding proteins were then used to detect a 97-kilodalton protein that interacts specifically with 5' exon sequences previously implicated in the control of IVS3 splicing in vivo. Inhibition of IVS3 splicing in vitro could be correlated with binding of the 97-kD protein to 5' exon sequences, suggesting that one aspect of IVS3 tissue-specific splicing involves somatic repression by specific RNA-protein interactions.     

Structure of the exon junction core complex with a trapped DEAD-box ATPase bound to RNA

In higher eukaryotes, a multiprotein exon junction complex is deposited on spliced messenger RNAs. The complex is organized around a stable core, which serves as a binding platform for numerous factors that influence messenger RNA function. Here, we present the crystal structure of a tetrameric exon junction core complex containing the DEAD-box adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) eukaryotic initiation factor 4AIII (eIF4AIII) bound to an ATP analog, MAGOH, Y14, a fragment of MLN51, and a polyuracil mRNA mimic. eIF4AIII interacts with the phosphate-ribose backbone of six consecutive nucleotides and prevents part of the bound RNA from being double stranded. The MAGOH and Y14 subunits lock eIF4AIII in a prehydrolysis state, and activation of the ATPase probably requires only modest conformational changes in eIF4AIII motif I.     

Affinity chromatography of splicing complexes: U2, U5, and U4 + U6 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particles in the spliceosome

The splicing process, which removes intervening sequences from messenger RNA (mRNA) precursors is essential to gene expression in eukaryotic cells. This site-specific process requires precise sequence recognition at the boundaries of an intervening sequence, but the mechanism of this recognition is not understood. The splicing of mRNA precursors occurs in a multicomponent complex termed the spliceosome. Such an assembly of components is likely to play a key role in specifying those sequences to be spliced. In order to analyze spliceosome structure, a stringent approach was developed to obtain splicing complexes free of cellular contaminants. This approach is a form of affinity chromatography based on the high specificity of the biotin-streptavidin interaction. A minimum of three subunits: U2, U5, and U4 + U6 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particles were identified in the 35S spliceosome structure, which also contains the bipartite RNA intermediate of splicing. A 25S presplicing complex contained only the U2 particle. The multiple subunit structure of the spliceosome has implications for the regulation of a splicing event and for its possible catalysis by ribozyme or ribozymes.     

Assembly of functional U1 and U2 human-amphibian hybrid snRNPs in Xenopus laevis oocytes

Oligonucleotides complementary to regions of U1 and U2 small nuclear RNAs (snRNAs), when injected into Xenopus laevis oocytes, rapidly induced the specific degradation of U1 and U2 snRNAs, respectively, and then themselves were degraded. After such treatment, splicing of simian virus 40 (SV40) late pre-mRNA transcribed from microinjected viral DNA was blocked in oocytes. If before introduction of SV40 DNA into oocytes HeLa cell U1 or U2 snRNAs were injected and allowed to assemble into small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particle (snRNP)-like complexes, SV40 late RNA was as efficiently spliced as in oocytes that did not receive U1 or U2 oligonucleotides. This demonstrates that oocytes can form fully functional hybrid U1 and U2 snRNPs consisting of human snRNA and amphibian proteins.     

Mutations in U4atac snRNA, a component of the minor spliceosome, in the developmental disorder MOPD I

Small nuclear RNAs (snRNAs) are essential factors in messenger RNA splicing. By means of homozygosity mapping and deep sequencing, we show that a gene encoding U4atac snRNA, a component of the minor U12-dependent spliceosome, is mutated in individuals with microcephalic osteodysplastic primordial dwarfism type I (MOPD I), a severe developmental disorder characterized by extreme intrauterine growth retardation and multiple organ abnormalities. Functional assays showed that mutations (30G>A, 51G>A, 55G>A, and 111G>A) associated with MOPD I cause defective U12-dependent splicing. Endogenous U12-dependent but not U2-dependent introns were found to be poorly spliced in MOPD I patient fibroblast cells. The introduction of wild-type U4atac snRNA into MOPD I cells enhanced U12-dependent splicing. These results illustrate the critical role of minor intron splicing in human development.     

内含子的识别和选择性剪切

真核生物内含子的一个显著特征是在很多生物中其5'和3'剪切位点的基本序列都具有相对很高的保守性,内含子从mRNA前体转录产物中的去除和伴随的外显子的连接称作mRNA前体的剪切,它是构成真核基因表达和基因调控水平的一个重要方面。这个过程由许多具有有限序列和特殊空间结构的顺式作用元件控制,由被称为剪切体的核糖核蛋白复合体来执行。以内含子的识别和由于识别造成的选择性剪切进行了综述,试图去理解造成选择性剪切的分子机理。     

新基因p7TP3剪切体1的克隆与亚细胞定位

利用RT-PCR技术扩增丙型肝炎病毒p7蛋白反式调节基因3剪切体1（p7TP3剪切体1）开放阅读框序列。将目的基因片段插入pGEM-T载体中,经双酶切和测序鉴定后,定向克隆至荧光表达载体pEGFP-C1,EcoRI及BamHI双酶切鉴定。脂质体法转染HepG2细胞,荧光显微镜下观察确定其亚细胞定位。结果表明,p7TP3剪切体1片断长度为381 bp,与预期结果一致;亚细胞定位结果表明,该蛋白定位于细胞浆中。     

大白菜BrSPS1Fb基因剪接受体位点变异及其对剪接的影响

为研究剪接受体位点变异对剪接方式与效率的影响,对大白菜材料He2进行重测序,发现BrSPS1Fb-He2第6个内含子(I6)的剪接受体位点由AG突变为AC。对大白菜材料He2花瓣进行转录组测序并分析BrSPS1Fb-He2 read数据,结果显示,BrSPS1Fb-He2在pre-mRNA加工过程中发生了选择性剪接。BrSPS1Fb-He2可选择3个位置(A1、A2和A3)作为受体进行剪接,产生3种剪接异构体(S1、S2和S3),或者保留I6整个内含子,形成S4剪接异构体。大白菜BrSPS1Fb-He2的成熟mRNA中保留部分I6(S1和S2)或全部I6(S4),或者缺失部分E7外显子序列(S3)。综上,BrSPS1Fb剪接受体位点的单核苷酸多态性(single nucleotide polymorphisms,SNP)变异对其转录后剪接产生了显著影响。     

Dynamics of single mRNPs in nuclei of living cells

Understanding gene expression requires the ability to follow the fate of individual molecules. Here we use a cellular system for monitoring messenger RNA (mRNA)expression to characterize the movement in real time of single mRNA-protein complexes (mRNPs) in the nucleus of living mammalian cells. This mobility was not directed but was governed by simple diffusion. Some mRNPs were partially corralled throughout the nonhomogenous nuclear environment, but no accumulation at subnuclear domains was observed. Following energy deprivation, energy-independent motion of mRNPs was observed in a highly ATP-dependent nuclear environment; movements were constrained to chromatin-poor domains and excluded by newly formed chromatin barriers. This observation resolves a controversy, showing that the energetic requirements of nuclear mRNP trafficking are consistent with a diffusional model.     

An antigen produced by splicing of noncontiguous peptides in the reverse order

CD8-positive T lymphocytes recognize peptides that are usually derived from the degradation of cellular proteins and are presented by class I molecules of the major histocompatibility complex. Here we describe a human minor histocompatibility antigen created by a polymorphism in the SP110 nuclear phosphoprotein gene. The antigenic peptide comprises two noncontiguous SP110 peptide segments spliced together in reverse order to that in which they occur in the predicted SP110 protein. The antigenic peptide could be produced in vitro by incubation of precursor peptides with highly purified 20S proteasomes. Cutting and splicing probably occur within the proteasome by transpeptidation.     

Both catalytic steps of nuclear pre-mRNA splicing are reversible

Nuclear pre-messenger RNA (pre-mRNA) splicing is an essential processing step for the production of mature mRNAs from most eukaryotic genes. Splicing is catalyzed by a large ribonucleoprotein complex, the spliceosome, which is composed of five small nuclear RNAs and more than 100 protein factors. Despite the complexity of the spliceosome, the chemistry of the splicing reaction is simple, consisting of two consecutive transesterification reactions. The presence of introns in spliceosomal RNAs of certain fungi has suggested that splicing may be reversible; however, this has never been demonstrated experimentally. By using affinity-purified spliceosomes, we have shown that both catalytic steps of splicing can be efficiently reversed under appropriate conditions. These results provide considerable insight into the catalytic flexibility of the spliceosome.