RNA Interactions in mRNA Splicing

Andrew J Newman, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK

Published online: March 2008

DOI: 10.1002/9780470015902.a0000881.pub2

Complex ribonucleoprotein machines called spliceosomes remove introns from nuclear messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) precursors by mRNA splicing. A dynamic network of RNA interactions in the spliceosome plays crucial roles in splice site recognition and provides a structural framework for the catalytic steps of mRNA splicing.

Keywords: splicing; mRNA; spliceosome; snRNA

Figure 1. Cartoon showing the dynamic network of RNA interactions at three successive stages of formation and activation of a conventional (U2-type) cis-spliceosome (precatalytic, first-step catalysis and second-step catalysis, respectively). ‘*’ Indicates a non-Watson–Crick interaction between the G residues at the 5¢ and 3¢ ends of the intron. See the text for detailed explanation. Modified with permission from Nilsen (1998). Copyright © 1998 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.
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    Brow DA (2002) Allosteric cascade of spliceosome activation. Annual Review of Genetics 36: 333–360.
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Related Sub-Topics:

Nucleic Acid Structure | Translation and Protein synthesis | Transcription of DNA | Transcriptional Regulation | RNA Structure and Function | Noncoding RNA | Posttranscriptional Modification | Biomolecular Interactions | Enzymes: Structure and Action Mechanism | Nucleic Acids: Structure, Function, Metabolism
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Article Title: RNA Interactions in mRNA Splicing
 
How to Cite close
Newman, Andrew J(Mar 2008) RNA Interactions in mRNA Splicing. In: eLS. John Wiley & Sons Ltd, Chichester. http://www.els.net [doi: 10.1002/9780470015902.a0000881.pub2]