title: Purification and biochemical characterization of interchromatin granule clusters.
abstract: Components of the pre-mRNA splicing machinery are localized in interchromatin granule clusters (IGCs) and perichromatin fibrils (PFs). Here we report the biochemical purification of IGCs. Approximately 75 enriched proteins were present in the IGC fraction. Protein identification employing a novel mass spectrometry strategy and peptide microsequencing identified 33 known proteins, many of which have been linked to pre-mRNA splicing, as well as numerous uncharacterized proteins. Thus far, three new protein constituents of the IGCs have been identified. One of these, a 137 kDa protein, has a striking sequence similarity over its entire length to UV-damaged DNA-binding protein, a protein associated with the hereditary disease xeroderma pigmentosum group E, and to the 160 kDa subunit of cleavage polyadenylation specificity factor. Overall, these results provide a key framework that will enable the biological functions associated with the IGCs to be elucidated.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, S.U.N.Y. Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA.
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Mintz
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Patterson
authors.forename: A F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Neuwald
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Spahr
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Spector
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002843:Chromatin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D015180:Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional; D005260:Female; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D051379:Mice; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012322:RNA Precursors / Q000235:genetics; D012326:RNA Splicing; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D002843:Chromatin; D012322:RNA Precursors; D012333:RNA, Messenger