title: Mammalian pre-mRNA branch site selection by U2 snRNP involves base pairing.
abstract: SV40 early pre-mRNA is alternatively spliced to produce large T and small t mRNAs by use of different 5'-splice sites and a shared 3'-splice site. The large T splicing pathway uses multiple lariat branch sites, whereas small t splicing, constrained by its small intron size, can use only one. We exploited this situation to test the hypothesis that RNA-RNA base pairing between U2 snRNA and the branch site sequence is important in mammalian pre-mRNA splicing by constructing and analyzing several mutations in the small t pre-mRNA branch site (UUCUAAU). All of the mutations resulted in substantial decreases in small t splicing relative to large T. To test whether these effects resulted from decreased base pairing with U2 snRNA, compensatory mutations were introduced at the appropriate positions (nucleotides 34-36) in a cloned human U2 gene. All branch site mutations tested (four separate single base substitutions and two triple mutations) were suppressed (i.e., small t splicing was increased) by the appropriate U2 mutations. These results establish that recognition of the poorly conserved mammalian pre-mRNA branch site sequence by U2 snRNP can involve base-pairing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Manley
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001482:Base Composition; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D006801:Humans; D009154:Mutation; D010957:Plasmids; D012322:RNA Precursors / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D012326:RNA Splicing / Q000502:physiology; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012342:RNA, Small Nuclear / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D013539:Simian virus 40 / Q000235:genetics*; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: D012322:RNA Precursors; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012342:RNA, Small Nuclear