Poster abstracts

Poster number 14 submitted by Tupa Basu Roy

Requirement of Helix 1 base-pairing between U6atac and U12 snRNA in U12-dependent pre-mRNA splicing

Tupa Basu-Roy (BGES, Cleveland State University), Richard A. Padgett (Molecular Genetics, Lerner Research Cleveland Clinic Foundation), Girish C. Shukla (BGES, Cleveland State University)

Abstract:
Of most metazoan genes, one of the most essential and critical step in gene expression is the removal of intervening sequences or introns by splicing from the primary transcripts. Intron removal is accomplished by a distinct set of spliceosome consisting of major and minor class of spliceosomal small nuclear RNAs (snRNAs) whose intermolecular and intramolecular sequential RNA-RNA base pairing interactions are often analogous. In the minor or U12-dependent spliceosome U11, U12, U6atac and U4atac are unique snRNAs and are essential for the splicing of U12-dependent intron. We are studying sequential base-pairing interactions between U4atac:U6atac and U6atac:U12 snRNAs to understand the role and requirement of a conserved intermolecular helix I. Single and double nucleotide mutations revealed base-pairs which are essential and required for the formation of helix I. Also, for the first time our data produces the evidence of in vivo intermolecular helix I of U6atac:U12 snRNAs.

Keywords: U12- dependent pre-mRNA splicing, intermolecular helix I, Single and double nucleotide mutations