Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow Print PDF (313K) Freely available
Right arrow Supplementary Material
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (6)
Right arrow Commercial Re-use Guidelines
for Open Access NAR Content
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Shomron, N.
Right arrow Articles by Ast, G.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Shomron, N.
Right arrow Articles by Ast, G.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Nucleic Acids Research, 2002, Vol. 30, No. 19 4127-4137
© 2002 Oxford University Press

Reversible inhibition of the second step of splicing suggests a possible role of zinc in the second step of splicing

Noam Shomron, Hadar Malca, Ida Vig and Gil Ast*

Department of Human Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv 69978, Tel Aviv, Israel

*To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: +972 3 640 6893; Fax: +972 3 640 9900; Email: gilast{at}post.tau.ac.il
This manuscript is dedicated to the memory of Professsor Shmaryahu Blumberg

A multicomponent complex of proteins and RNA is assembled on the newly synthesized pre-mRNA to form the spliceosome. This complex catalyzes a two-step transesterification reaction required to remove the introns and ligate the exons. To date, only six proteins have been found necessary for the second step of splicing in yeast, and their human homologs have been identified. We demonstrate that the addition of the selective chelator of zinc, 1,10-phenanthroline, to an in vitro mRNA splicing reaction causes a dose-dependent inhibition of the second step of splicing. This inhibition is accompanied by the accumulation of spliceosomes paused before completion of step two of the splicing reaction. The inhibition effect on the second step is due neither to snRNA degradation nor to direct binding to the mRNA, and is reversible by dialysis or add-back of zinc, but not of other divalent metals, at the beginning of the reaction. These findings suggest that the activity of a putative zinc-dependent metalloprotein(s) involved in the second step of splicing is affected. This study outlines a new method for specific reversible inhibition of the second step of splicing using external reagents, and suggests a possible role of divalent cations in the second step of mRNA splicing, most likely zinc.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 RNAHome page
D.-S. KIM, V. GUSTI, S. G. PILLAI, and R. K. GAUR
An artificial riboswitch for controlling pre-mRNA splicing
RNA, November 1, 2005; 11(11): 1667 - 1677.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Mol. Biol. CellHome page
N. Shomron, M. Reznik, and G. Ast
Splicing Factor hSlu7 Contains a Unique Functional Domain Required to Retain the Protein within the Nucleus
Mol. Biol. Cell, August 1, 2004; 15(8): 3782 - 3795.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Mol. Cell. Biol.Home page
H. Malca, N. Shomron, and G. Ast
The U1 snRNP Base Pairs with the 5' Splice Site within a Penta-snRNP Complex
Mol. Cell. Biol., May 15, 2003; 23(10): 3442 - 3455.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer:
Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.