title: Site-specific cleavage of IGF-II mRNAs requires sequence elements from two distinct regions of the IGF-II gene.
abstract: The human insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II) gene constitutes a complex transcriptional unit that contains nine exons and four promoters. Expression of the IGF-II gene yields a family of mRNAs that all encode prepro-IGF-II. In addition, a stable 1.8 kb RNA is formed that is derived from the 3' untranslated region of exon 9. Recently, we have shown that this RNA species arises by site-specific endonucleolytic cleavage of IGF-II mRNAs and not by transcription from a separate promoter. In the present study we establish that two widely separated sequence elements of approximately 300 nucleotides, both located within exon 9, are required for this cleavage reaction. The first element encompasses about 200 nucleotides upstream and 100 nucleotides downstream of the cleavage site, while the second element is located within a region of 330 nucleotides about 2 kb upstream of the cleavage site. Interestingly, site-specific cleavage also occurred when a fragment from exon 9 of the IGF-II gene containing these two elements was inserted into the 3' untranslated part of the beta-globin gene. Apparently, the expressed hybrid beta-globin-IGF-II mRNA contains all the regulatory elements to confer site-specific endonucleolytic cleavage.
authors.affiliation: Wilhelmina Childrens' Hospital, State University of Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Meinsma
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Scheper
authors.forename: P E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Holthuizen
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Van den Brande
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Sussenbach
mesh_terms: D017398:Alternative Splicing; D001483:Base Sequence; D002460:Cell Line; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D005091:Exons; D005914:Globins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007335:Insulin-Like Growth Factor II / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D010957:Plasmids; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D007335:Insulin-Like Growth Factor II; D005914:Globins