Internal sequences that distinguish yeast from metazoan U2 snRNA are unnecessary for pre-mRNA splicing

U2 small nuclear RNA is a highly conserved component of the eukaryotic cell nucleus involved in splicing messenger RNA precursors. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, U2 RNA interacts with the intron by RNA-RNA pairing between the conserved branchpoint sequence UACUAAC and conserved nucleotides near the 5' end of U2 (ref. 4). Metazoan U2 RNA is less than 200 nucleotides in length, but yeast U2 RNA is 1,175 nucleotides long. The 5' 110 nucleotides of yeast U2 are homologous to the 5' 100 nucleotides of metazoan U2 (ref. 6), and the very 3' end of yeast U2 bears a weak structural resemblance to features near the 3' end of metazoan U2. Internal sequences of yeast U2 share primary sequence homology with metazoan U4, U5 and U6 small nuclear RNA (ref. 6), and have regions of complementarity with yeast U1 (ref. 7). We have investigated the importance of the internal U2 sequences by their deletion. Yeast cells carrying a U2 allele lacking 958 nucleotides of internal U2 sequence produce a U2 small nuclear RNA similar in size to that found in other organisms. Cells carrying only the U2 deletion grow normally, have normal levels of spliced mRNA and do not accumulate unspliced precursor mRNA. We conclude that the internal sequences of yeast U2 carry no essential function. The extra RNA may have a non-essential function in efficient ribonucleoprotein assembly or RNA stability. Variation in amount of RNA in homologous structural RNAs has precedence in ribosomal RNA and RNaseP.     

A suppressor of a yeast splicing mutation (prp8-1) encodes a putative ATP-dependent RNA helicase

Five small nuclear RNAs (snRNAs) are required for nuclear pre-messenger RNA splicing: U1, U2, U4, U5 and U6. The yeast U1 and U2 snRNAs base-pair to the 5' splice site and branch-point sequences of introns respectively. The role of the U5 and U4/U6 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particles (snRNPs) in splicing is not clear, though a catalytic role for the U6 snRNA has been proposed. Less is known about yeast splicing factors, but the availability of genetic techniques in Saccharomyces cerevisiae has led to the identification of mutants deficient in nuclear pre-mRNA splicing (prp2-prp27). Several PRP genes have now been cloned and their protein products characterized. The PRP8 protein is a component of the U5 snRNP and associates with the U4/U6 snRNAs/snRNP to form a multi-snRNP particle believed to be important for spliceosome assembly. We have isolated extragenic suppressors of the prp8-1 mutation of S. cerevisiae and present here the preliminary characterization of one of these suppressors, spp81. The predicted amino-acid sequence of the SPP81 protein shows extensive similarity to a recently identified family of proteins thought to possess ATP-dependent RNA helicase activity. The possible role of this putative helicase in nuclear pre-mRNA splicing is discussed.     

Conservation between yeast and man of a protein associated with U5 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein

The process of nuclear pre-messenger RNA splicing is similar in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and metazoan cells in that the two-step mechanism is identical and the reaction occurs in a large ribonucleoprotein complex, the spliceosome. Little is known, however, about the degree of conservation of splicing factors other than of the small nuclear RNAs (snRNAs). Yeast counterparts of the metazoan spliceosomal snRNAs (U1, U2, U4, U5 and U6) have been identified but, with the exception of U6, the yeast snRNAs are larger and sequence similarity is limited to short regions. By using antibodies against the yeast PRP8 protein, a pre-mRNA splicing factor of relative molecular mass 280,000 (Mr280K) stably associated with U5 small nuclear ribonucleoproteins (snRNPs), we have now identified an immunologically related protein in HeLa cell nuclear extracts. The HeLa cell protein has an Mr greater than 200K and is associated with purified 20S U5 snRNPs. This is the first report of phylogenetic conservation between yeast and man of a protein splicing factor.     

Human U2 snRNA can function in pre-mRNA splicing in yeast

The removal of introns from messenger RNA precursors requires five small nuclear RNAs (snRNAs), contained within ribonucleoprotein particles (snRNPs), which complex with the pre-mRNA and other associated factors to form the spliceosome. In both yeast and mammals, the U2 snRNA base pairs with sequences surrounding the site of lariat formation. Binding of U2 snRNP to the highly degenerate branchpoint sequence in mammalian introns is absolutely dependent on an auxiliary protein, U2AF, which recognizes a polypyrimidine stretch adjacent to the 3' splice site. The absence of this sequence motif in yeast introns has strengthened arguments that the two systems are fundamentally different. Deletion analyses of the yeast U2 gene have confirmed that the highly conserved 5' domain is essential, although the adjacent approximately 950 nucleotides can be deleted without any phenotypic consequence. A 3'-terminal domain of approximately 100 nucleotides is also required for wild-type growth rates; the highly conserved terminal loop within this domain (loop IV) may provide specific binding contacts for two U2-specific snRNP proteins. We have replaced the single copy yeast U2 (yU2) gene with human U2 (hU2), expecting that weak or no complementation would provide an assay for cloning additional splicing factors, such as U2AF. We report here that hU2 can complement the yeast deletion with surprising efficiency. The interactions governing spliceosome assembly and intron recognition are thus more conserved than previously suspected. Paradoxically, the conserved loop IV sequence is dispensable in yeast.     

Genetic evidence for base pairing between U2 and U6 snRNA in mammalian mRNA splicing.

Removal of introns from eukaryotic nuclear messenger RNA precursors is catalysed by a large ribonucleoprotein complex called the spliceosome, which consists of four small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particles (U1, U2, U5, and U4/U6 snRNPs) and auxiliary protein factors. We have begun a genetic analysis of mammalian U2 snRNA by making second-site mutations in a suppressor U2 snRNA. Here we find that several mutations in the 5' end of U2 (nucleotides 3-8) are deleterious and that one of these can be rescued by compensatory base changes in the 3' end of U6 (nucleotides 92-95). The results demonstrate genetically that the base-pairing interaction between U2 (nucleotides 3-11) and U6 snRNA (nucleotides 87-95), originally proposed on the basis of psoralen photocrosslinking experiments, can influence the efficiency of mRNA splicing in mammals. The U2/U6 interaction in yeast, however, is fairly tolerant to mutation (D.J. Field and J.D. Friesen, personal communication), emphasizing the potential for facultative RNA interactions within the spliceosome.     

烟草尼古丁去甲基酶基因CYP82E4启动子结合蛋白的鉴定与分析

 以尼古丁去甲基酶编码基因（CYP82E4）上游的启动子功能元件作为诱饵,使用酵母单杂交方法从喷施乙烯利叶片的cDNA融合表达文库中钓取与之相互作用的结合蛋白.研究结果表明,诱饵载体pHIS2/pE4和cDNA融合表达载体pGADT7-Rec2共转化到酵母细胞中的效率为1×10⁶.对文库的筛选结果表明,本研究共获得39个阳性克隆,且阳性克隆的插入片段在850～2500bp之间.将获得的39个阳性克隆进行测序,其中发现1个可能参与基因(CYP82E4）表达调控的锌指蛋白转录因子.下一步将对其功能进行分析,为通过分子育种手段培养低含量去甲基尼古丁的烟草提供实验基础.     

生物信息学技术克隆并分析新基因STRF7

为进一步研究信号转导相关的新基因片段BE644250,采用生物信息学方法克隆基全长cDNA,并分析了其ORF,电子表达谱,染色体定位等,之后对全长序列进行了实验验证。电子延伸（contig)获得了729bp的延伸产物,含一个典型的74aa的ORF,命名为STRF7。与已知蛋白无明显同源性,部分地相似于人的源框蛋白CDX－4和酵母的转录调节子ADR6,属一新发现的基因;RT－PCR从IL－6刺激后的U937中克隆了STRF7基因,基序列与电子延伸结果安全一致,进一步的分析显示STRF7在多种组织中表达并定位于第6号染色体上,上述结果显示,STRF7是一个新基因,编码含74aa的蛋白,并且是一个潜在的转录因子。     

The yeast DNA repair gene RAD6 encodes a ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme

The RAD6 gene of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is required for a variety of cellular functions including DNA repair. The discovery that the RAD6 gene product can catalyse the covalent attachment of ubiquitin to other proteins suggests that the multiple functions of the RAD6 protein are mediated by its ubiquitin-conjugating activity.     

Cloning of theAspergillus awamori glucoamylase gene and expression inSaccharomyces cerevisiae

The A. awamori glucoamylase I gene was obtained by RT_PCR and inserted into the plasmid pAC1. We constructed an expression vector pAC1_GA, which was used to transform the yeast S. cerevisiae AS 2 1364 without auxotrophic marker. The transformant secreted glucoamylase into the medium efficiently and degraded starch. The glucoamylase activity of the culture filtrate is up to 8 4 U/mL.     

The U1 snRNP protein U1C recognizes the 5' splice site in the absence of base pairing

Splicing of precursor messenger RNA takes place in the spliceosome, a large RNA/protein macromolecular machine. Spliceosome assembly occurs in an ordered pathway in vitro and is conserved between yeast and mammalian systems. The earliest step is commitment complex formation in yeast or E complex formation in mammals, which engages the pre-mRNA in the splicing pathway and involves interactions between U1 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein (snRNP) and the pre-mRNA 5' splice site. Complex formation depends on highly conserved base pairing between the 5' splice site and the 5' end of U1 snRNA, both in vivo and in vitro. U1 snRNP proteins also contribute to U1 snRNP activity. Here we show that U1 snRNP lacking the 5' end of its snRNA retains 5'-splice-site sequence specificity. We also show that recombinant yeast U1C protein, a U1 snRNP protein, selects a 5'-splice-site-like sequence in which the first four nucleotides, GUAU, are identical to the first four nucleotides of the yeast 5'-splice-site consensus sequence. We propose that a U1C 5'-splice-site interaction precedes pre-mRNA/U1 snRNA base pairing and is the earliest step in the splicing pathway.     

视网膜母细胞瘤结合蛋白4基因酵母双杂交诱饵载体的构建

视网膜母细胞瘤结合蛋白4(RBBP4)是WD-40蛋白家族的成员之一,其在组蛋白乙酰化、细胞周期进展及肿瘤干细胞的分化等方面具有重要功能,研究与RBBP4互作的新蛋白质和认识RBBP4在疾病包括肿瘤的发生发展过程中的分子机制有重要意义。通过RT-PCR扩增获得了RBBP4基因的CDS序列,经双酶切后与pGBKT7酵母诱饵载体连接构建了pGBKT7-RBBP4载体,再通过双酶切鉴定和测序验证,结果表明此酵母双杂交诱饵载体被成功构建,为后续利用酵母双杂交技术筛选与RBBP4蛋白相互作用的新蛋白提供了参考。     

The yeast tRNATyr gene intron is essential for correct modification of its tRNA product

Precise deletion of the intervening sequence of a yeast tRNATyr ochre suppressor gene (SUP6) significantly reduced its suppressor activity relative to that of the unaltered gene. This is probably the result of the absence of the pseudouridine modification, normally present at the middle anticodon position of mature suppressor tRNA, in tRNA synthesized in vivo from the deleted gene.     

rDNA介导的多拷贝整合表达载体的构建及其在酿酒酵母工业菌株中的应用

根据酵母整合质粒的设计要求,PCR扩增特定的2．2kb rDNA片段,并以此替换酿酒酵母(Saccharomyces cereristae)整合载体YIp5的URA3片段;在此基础上,引入G418抗性基因KanMX和酵母磷酸甘油激酶(phosphoglycerale kinase,PGK)组成型强启动子和终止子序列(PGKp-t),构建适合酿酒酵母工业菌株高拷贝整合表达载体pYMIKP,以细菌木糖异构酶(xylose isomerase,XI)基因xy/A为目标基因,通过载体pYMIKP引入到酵母工业菌株NAN-27中,酵母转化子在非选择培养条件下,连续生长50世代质粒稳定性为99．72％,目标基因高拷贝重组菌的木糖异构酶比酶活是对照菌株的67．2倍,达到0．672U／mg蛋白,实现了外源基因在酿酒酵母工业菌株中的稳定高效表达。     

酵母全基因组新的ORF结构的预测

提出了一个预测DNA序列中无内含子的开阅读框架（ORF）的理论方法－终止密码预测法；用酵母全基因组中已知的6260个基因进行检验，预测成功率为99．9％；发现酵母基因编码区和已知的DRF的起始密码子总是位于长距离不出现终止密码的位置序列上游紧邻最后一个终止密码子的ATG；在酵母全基因组DNA中发现了新的长度不小于90个氨基酸的ORF结构2244个。