An amino acid sequence motif sufficient for subnuclear localization of an arginine/serine-rich splicing factor.
We have identified an amino acid sequence in the Drosophila Transformer (Tra) protein that is capable of directing a heterologous protein to nuclear speckles, regions of the nucleus previously shown to contain high concentrations of spliceosomal small nuclear RNAs and splicing factors. This sequence contains a nucleoplasmin-like bipartite nuclear localization signal (NLS) and a repeating arginine/serine (RS) dipeptide sequence adjacent to a short stretch of basic amino acids. Sequence comparisons from a number of other splicing factors that colocalize to nuclear speckles reveal the presence of one or more copies of this motif. We propose a two-step subnuclear localization mechanism for splicing factors. The first step is transport across the nuclear envelope via the nucleoplasmin-like NLS, while the second step is association with components in the speckled domain via the RS dipeptide sequence.
Hedley
M L
ML
Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
Amrein
H
H
Maniatis
T
T
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002451:Cell Compartmentation; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D016259:Genes, myc; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010455:Peptides / Q000378:metabolism; D012326:RNA Splicing; D012261:Ribonucleoproteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D000068103:Serine-Arginine Splicing Factors; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D014162:Transfection
D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D010455:Peptides; D012261:Ribonucleoproteins; C097162:Tra protein, Drosophila; C066174:tra2 protein, Drosophila; C073288:SRSF2 protein, human; D000068103:Serine-Arginine Splicing Factors