title: The divergent U12-type spliceosome is required for pre-mRNA splicing and is essential for development in Drosophila.
abstract: A minor class of pre-mRNA introns whose excision requires a spliceosome containing U11, U12, U4atac/U6atac, and U5 snRNPs has been identified in plants, insects, and vertebrates. We have characterized single loci that specify the U6atac and U12 snRNAs of Drosophila melanogaster. P element-mediated disruptions of the U6atac and U12 genes cause lethality during the third instar larval and embryonic stages, respectively, and are rescued by U6atac and U12 transgenes. The P element disruption of U6atac results in excision defects of U12-type introns from several transcripts including an alternative U12-dependent spliced isoform of prospero, a homeodomain protein required for CNS development. Thus, we demonstrate the requirement for the U12 spliceosome in the development of a metazoan organism.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, Yale University, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, New Haven, CT 06536, USA.
authors.forename: Leo R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Otake
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Scamborova
authors.forename: Carl
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
authors.forename: Joan A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Steitz
mesh_terms: D017398:Alternative Splicing; D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D001483:Base Sequence; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D005804:Genes, Lethal; D007438:Introns / Q000235:genetics*; D007814:Larva; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016254:Mutagenesis, Insertional; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000235:genetics; D012322:RNA Precursors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012326:RNA Splicing; D012342:RNA, Small Nuclear / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D017414:Ribonucleoprotein, U4-U6 Small Nuclear / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D017411:Ribonucleoproteins, Small Nuclear / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D017381:Spliceosomes / Q000502:physiology*; D014157:Transcription Factors; D019076:Transgenes
chemical_list: D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D012322:RNA Precursors; D012342:RNA, Small Nuclear; D017414:Ribonucleoprotein, U4-U6 Small Nuclear; D017411:Ribonucleoproteins, Small Nuclear; D014157:Transcription Factors; C552126:U11-U12 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein; C096986:U12 small nuclear RNA; C405486:U6 small nuclear RNA; C073099:pros protein, Drosophila