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Open AccessJournal ArticleDOI

A critical assessment of the utility of protein-free splicing systems.

Duncan J. Smith, +1 more
- 01 Jan 2009 - 
- Vol. 15, Iss: 1, pp 1-3
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TLDR
In this article, the authors discuss the advances in both protein-free and fully spliceosomal systems that would be required to conclude that the reactions observed to be catalyzed by protein free snRNAs are related to splicing and question the reliability of snRNA-only systems as tools for mechanistic splicing research.
Abstract
U2 and U6 snRNAs form part of the catalytic spliceosome and represent strong candidates for components of its active site. Over the past decade it has become clear that these snRNAs are capable of catalyzing several different chemical reactions, leading to the widespread conclusion that the spliceosome is a ribozyme. Here, we discuss the advances in both protein-free and fully spliceosomal systems that would be required to conclude that the reactions observed to be catalyzed by protein-free snRNAs are related to splicing and question the reliability of snRNA-only systems as tools for mechanistic splicing research.

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Human dyskerin: beyond telomeres.

TL;DR: How increasing evidence indicates that the snoRNA/microRNA pathways can be interlaced, and that dyskerin-dependent RNA pseudouridylation represents a flexible mechanism able to modulate RNA function in different ways, is summarized.
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RNA structure analysis of human spliceosomes reveals a compact 3D arrangement of snRNAs at the catalytic core

TL;DR: A model of the RNA network of the step 1 spliceosome is generated, based on the crystal structure of a group II intron through homology modelling, which is topologically consistent with current genetic, biochemical, and structural data.
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Dioctadecyldimethylammonium:monoolein nanocarriers for efficient in vitro gene silencing.

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Knowledge-based scoring functions in drug design. 1. Developing a target-specific method for kinase-ligand interactions.

TL;DR: The evaluation results clearly demonstrate that a target-specific scoring function is a promising way to improve prediction power in structure-based drug design compared with other general scoring functions.
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MicroRNA biogenesis and variability

TL;DR: The ‘miRNome’ panorama enhances knowledge regarding the fine regulation of gene expression and provides new insights concerning normal, as opposed to pathological, cell differentiation and development.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI

Pre-mRNA Splicing: Awash in a Sea of Proteins

TL;DR: The number of new proteins emerging with no prior connection to splicing was surprising and it would be premature to label these proteins as bona fide splicing factors, yet many were identified multiple times in complexes purified under diverse conditions or from different organisms.
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Crystal structure of a self-spliced group II intron.

TL;DR: Structural and functional analogies support the hypothesis that group II introns and the spliceosome share a common ancestor.
Journal ArticleDOI

Splicing-related catalysis by protein-free snRNAs

TL;DR: It is shown that a protein-free complex of two snRNAs, U2 and U6, can bind and position a small RNA containing the sequence of the intron branch site, and activate the branch adenosine to attack a catalytically critical domain of U6 in a reaction that is related to the first step of splicing.
Journal ArticleDOI

"Nought may endure but mutability": spliceosome dynamics and the regulation of splicing.

TL;DR: The spliceosome is both compositionally and conformationally dynamic, allowing splice site choice to be regulated throughout both the assembly and catalytic phases of the reaction.
Journal ArticleDOI

Metal ion catalysis during group II intron self-splicing: parallels with the spliceosome.

TL;DR: It is shown that 3'-sulfur substitution at the 5' splice site of a group II intron causes a metal specificity switch during the first step of splicing, and striking parallels between the catalytic mechanisms employed by these two systems are provided.
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