title: A 22-nucleotide spliced leader sequence in the human parasitic nematode Brugia malayi is identical to the trans-spliced leader exon in Caenorhabditis elegans.
abstract: The mRNAs encoding a 63-kDa antigen in the human parasitic nematode Brugia Malayi contain a spliced leader sequence of 22 nucleotides (nt) that is identical to the trans-spliced leader found on certain actin mRNAs in the distantly related nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. The 22-nt sequence does not appear to be encoded near the 63-kDa genes but is present in multiple copies in several locations within the parasite genome, including the 5S rRNA gene repeat. The 5S-linked copies of the 22-nt sequence are transcribed to yield a 109-nt nonpolyadenylated RNA with the 22-nt leader sequence at its 5' end. We suggest that the 22-nt leader is acquired by 63-kDa antigen mRNAs through trans-splicing. These results indicate that trans-splicing is widespread in nematodes and argue for the functional significance of the 22-nt spliced leader exon in nematode mRNA metabolism.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Case Western Reserve University, School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Takacs
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Denker
authors.forename: K G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Perrine
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Maroney
authors.forename: T W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Nilsen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002009:Brugia / Q000235:genetics*; D002107:Caenorhabditis / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D008970:Molecular Weight; D012326:RNA Splicing; D012341:RNA, Ribosomal, 5S / Q000032:analysis; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D012341:RNA, Ribosomal, 5S