title: Circular box C/D RNAs in Pyrococcus furiosus.
abstract: Box C/D RNAs are small, noncoding RNAs that function in RNA modification in eukaryotes and archaea. Here, we report that box C/D RNAs exist in the rare biological form of RNA circles in the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus furiosus. Northern analysis of box C/D RNAs reveals two prominent RNA species of different electrophoretic mobilities in total P. furiosus RNA preparations. Together, the results of Northern, ribozyme, RT-PCR, and lariat debranching analyses indicate that the two species are circular and linear RNAs of similar length and abundance. It seems that most, if not all, species of box C/D RNAs exist as circles in P. furiosus. In addition, the circular RNAs are found in complexes with proteins required for box C/D RNA function. Our finding places box C/D RNAs among the extremely few circular RNAs known to exist in nature. Moreover, the unexpected discovery of circular box C/D RNAs points to the existence of a previously unrecognized biogenesis pathway for box C/D RNAs in archaea.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Davison Life Science Building, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
authors.forename: Natalia G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Starostina
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Marshburn
authors.forename: L Steven
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Sean R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Eddy
authors.forename: Rebecca M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Terns
authors.forename: Michael P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Terns
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D015153:Blotting, Western; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D047468:Immunoprecipitation / Q000379:methods; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D020027:Pyrococcus furiosus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D012313:RNA / Q000235:genetics*; D019642:RNA, Archaeal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D016337:RNA, Catalytic / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D000079962:RNA, Circular; D020537:RNA, Small Nucleolar / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D011817:Rabbits; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D020718:Ribonucleoproteins, Small Nucleolar / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D019642:RNA, Archaeal; D016337:RNA, Catalytic; D000079962:RNA, Circular; D020537:RNA, Small Nucleolar; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D020718:Ribonucleoproteins, Small Nucleolar; D012313:RNA