PreprintCited by 1,829RNA Research and SplicingRNA and protein synthesis mechanismsRNA regulation and disease

Spliceosome Structure and Function

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Will, C. L., Luhrmann, R.·2011·Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology

Abstract

Pre-mRNA splicing is catalyzed by the spliceosome, a multimegadalton ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex comprised of five snRNPs and numerous proteins. Intricate RNA-RNA and RNP networks, which serve to align the reactive groups of the pre-mRNA for catalysis, are formed and repeatedly rearranged during spliceosome assembly and catalysis. Both the conformation and composition of the spliceosome are highly dynamic, affording the splicing machinery its accuracy and flexibility, and these remarkable dynamics are largely conserved between yeast and metazoans. Because of its dynamic and complex nature, obtaining structural information about the spliceosome represents a major challenge. Electron microscopy has revealed the general morphology of several spliceosomal complexes and their snRNP subunits, and also the spatial arrangement of some of their components. X-ray and NMR studies have provided high resolution structure information about spliceosomal proteins alone or complexed with one or more binding partners. The extensive interplay of RNA and proteins in aligning the pre-mRNA's reactive groups, and the presence of both RNA and protein at the core of the splicing machinery, suggest that the spliceosome is an RNP enzyme. However, elucidation of the precise nature of the spliceosome's active site, awaits the generation of a high-resolution structure of its RNP core.

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Crossref · 10.1101/cshperspect.a003707

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  • Alternative splicing patterns are regulated by specialized pre-mRNA binding proteins that alter spliceosome assembly at specific splice sites.

    “Alternative splicing patterns (BOX 1) are regulated by specialized pre-mRNA binding proteins that alter spliceosome assembly at specific splice sites5–8”

    From The neurogenetics of alternative splicing (2016) · cites this paper as [5]

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Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. Stark H, Lührmann R 2006. Electron cryomicroscopy of spliceosomal components. Ann Rev Biophy Biomol Struct 35: 435–457 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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Authors
Will, C. L., & Luhrmann, R.
Affiliations
Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry (DE)
Venue
Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology
Published
2010-12-30
Volume
3
Issue
7
Pages
a003707-a003707
ISSN
1943-0264 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2148393113
Cited by
1,829
References
163
Citations by year
2026: 89 · 2025: 130 · 2024: 141 · 2023: 135 · 2022: 127 · 2021: 170 · 2020: 142 · 2019: 141 · 2018: 122 · 2017: 111 · 2016: 123 · 2015: 100 · 2014: 91 · 2013: 77 · 2012: 63
Type
posted content
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › RNA Research and Splicing
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › RNA and protein synthesis mechanisms
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › RNA regulation and disease
Keywords
spliceosome, pre-mRNA splicing, small nuclear ribonucleoproteins, ribonucleoprotein complexes, spliceosome assembly, RNA-RNA interactions, spliceosome structure, active site, RNA-protein interactions
MeSH terms
Humans, Models, Genetic, Models, Molecular, Nucleic Acid Conformation, Protein Processing, Post-Translational, Ribonucleoproteins, RNA Precursors, RNA Splicing, Spliceosomes, Ribonucleoproteins, Small Nuclear, Protein Structure, Tertiary, Crystallography, X-Ray, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular, Catalytic Domain

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