title: Pseudouridine-guide RNAs and other Cbf5p-associated RNAs in Euglena gracilis.
abstract: In eukaryotes, box H/ACA small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) guide sites of pseudouridine (Psi) formation in rRNA. These snoRNAs reside in RNP complexes containing the putative Psi synthase, Cbf5p. In this study we have identified Cbf5p-associated RNAs in Euglena gracilis, an early diverging eukaryote, by immunoprecipitating Cbf5p-containing complexes from cellular extracts. We characterized one box H/ACA-like RNA which, however, does not appear to guide Psi formation in rRNA. We also identified four single Psi-guide box AGA RNAs. We determined target sites for these putative Psi-guide RNAs and confirmed that the predicted Psi modifications do, in fact, occur at these positions in Euglena rRNA. The Cbf5p-associated snoRNAs appear to be encoded by multicopy genes, some of which are clustered in the genome together with methylation-guide snoRNA genes. These modification-guide snoRNAs and snoRNA genes are the first ones to be reported in euglenid protists, the evolutionary sister group to the kinetoplastid protozoa. Unexpectedly, we also found and have partially characterized a selenocysteine tRNA homolog in the anti-Cbf5p-immunoprecipitated sample.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Sir Charles Tupper Medical Building, Room 8F-2, Dal-housie University, 5850 College Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 1X5, Canada.
authors.forename: Anthony G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Russell
authors.forename: Murray N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Schnare
authors.forename: Michael W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Gray
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D020029:Base Pairing; D001483:Base Sequence; D005056:Euglena gracilis / Q000235:genetics*; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D019751:Intramolecular Transferases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D011560:Pseudouridine / Q000032:analysis*; D012331:RNA, Fungal / Q000235:genetics; D016053:RNA, Protozoan / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D005656:Fungal Proteins; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; D012331:RNA, Fungal; D016053:RNA, Protozoan; D011560:Pseudouridine; D019751:Intramolecular Transferases