title: trans-spliced Caenorhabditis elegans mRNAs retain trimethylguanosine caps.
abstract: The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has an unusual small nuclear RNA, containing a 100-nucleotide RNA molecule, spliced leader RNA, which donates its 5' 22 nucleotides to a variety of recipient RNAs by a trans-splicing reaction. The spliced leader RNA has a 5' trimethylguanosine (TMG) cap, which becomes the 5' end of trans-spliced mRNAs. We found that mature trans-spliced mRNAs were immunoprecipitable with anti-TMG cap antibodies and that TMG-containing dinucleotides specifically competed with the trans-spliced mRNAs for antibody binding. We also found that these mRNAs retained their TMG caps throughout development and that the TMG-capped mRNAs were polysome associated. Since the large majority of C. elegans mRNAs are not trans-spliced, the addition of the spliced leader and its TMG cap to a limited group of recipient RNAs may create a functionally distinct subset of mRNAs.
authors.affiliation: Program in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington 47405.
authors.forename: R F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Liou
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Blumenthal
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000235:genetics; D000818:Animals; D002107:Caenorhabditis / Q000235:genetics*; D004722:Endoribonucleases; D006151:Guanosine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000032:analysis; D007118:Immunoassay; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D011132:Polyribosomes / Q000378:metabolism; D012314:RNA Cap Analogs / Q000032:analysis*; D012315:RNA Caps / Q000032:analysis*; D012326:RNA Splicing; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016914:Ribonuclease H
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D012314:RNA Cap Analogs; D012315:RNA Caps; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D006151:Guanosine; C017778:N(2),N(2),7-trimethylguanosine; D004722:Endoribonucleases; D016914:Ribonuclease H