Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.

Science 10 April 1998:
Vol. 280. no. 5361, pp. 284 - 286
DOI: 10.1126/science.280.5361.284
Prev | Table of Contents | Next

Reports

Conservation of Substrate Recognition Mechanisms by tRNA Splicing Endonucleases

Stefania Fabbri, Paolo Fruscoloni, Emanuela Bufardeci, Elisa Di Nicola Negri, Maria I. Baldi, Domenica Gandini Attardi, Emilio Mattoccia, Glauco P. Tocchini-Valentini *

Accuracy in transfer RNA (tRNA) splicing is essential for the formation of functional tRNAs, and hence for gene expression, in both Eukaryotes and Archaea. The specificity for recognition of the tRNA precursor (pre-tRNA) resides in the endonuclease, which removes the intron by making two independent endonucleolytic cleavages. Although the eukaryal and archaeal enzymes appear to use different features of pre-tRNAs to determine the sites of cleavage, analysis of hybrid pre-tRNA substrates containing eukaryal and archaeal sequences, described here, reveals that the eukaryal enzyme retains the ability to use the archaeal recognition signals. This result indicates that there may be a common ancestral mechanism for recognition of pre-tRNA by proteins.

S. Fabbri and E. Bufardeci, EniChem, Istituto Guido Donegani SpA, Laboratori di Biotecnologie, 00015 Monterotondo, Rome, Italy.
P. Fruscoloni, E. Di Nicola Negri, M. I. Baldi, D. Gandini Attardi, E. Mattoccia, Istituto di Biologia Cellulare, CNR, Viale Marx 43, 00137 Rome, Italy.
G. P. Tocchini-Valentini, Istituto di Biologia Cellulare, CNR, Viale Marx 43, 00137 Rome, Italy, and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
*   To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: glauco{at}biocell.irmkant.rm.cnr.it

Read the Full Text


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Splicing of mRNA mediated by tRNA sequences in mouse cells.
M. Zamboni, D. Scarabino, and G. P. Tocchini-Valentini (2009)
RNA 15, 2122-2128
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Processing of multiple-intron-containing pretRNA.
G. D. Tocchini-Valentini, P. Fruscoloni, and G. P. Tocchini-Valentini (2009)
PNAS 106, 20246-20251
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
From the Cover: Cis- and trans-splicing of mRNAs mediated by tRNA sequences in eukaryotic cells.
G. Di Segni, S. Gastaldi, and G. P. Tocchini-Valentini (2008)
PNAS 105, 6864-6869
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Structural and Mutational Analysis of tRNA Intron-Splicing Endonuclease from Thermoplasma acidophilum DSM 1728: Catalytic Mechanism of tRNA Intron-Splicing Endonucleases.
Y. K. Kim, K. Mizutani, K.-H. Rhee, K.-H. Nam, W. H. Lee, E. H. Lee, E. E. Kim, S.-Y. Park, and K. Y. Hwang (2007)
J. Bacteriol. 189, 8339-8346
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
The dawn of dominance by the mature domain in tRNA splicing.
G. D. Tocchini-Valentini, P. Fruscoloni, and G. P. Tocchini-Valentini (2007)
PNAS 104, 12300-12305
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Coevolution of tRNA intron motifs and tRNA endonuclease architecture in Archaea.
G. D. Tocchini-Valentini, P. Fruscoloni, and G. P. Tocchini-Valentini (2005)
PNAS 102, 15418-15422
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
From the Cover: Structure, function, and evolution of the tRNA endonucleases of Archaea: An example of subfunctionalization.
G. D. Tocchini-Valentini, P. Fruscoloni, and G. P. Tocchini-Valentini (2005)
PNAS 102, 8933-8938
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
A pre-tRNA carrying intron features typical of Archaea is spliced in yeast.
G. DI SEGNI, L. BORGHESE, S. SEBASTIANI, and G. P. TOCCHINI-VALENTINI (2005)
RNA 11, 70-76
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Identification of BHB splicing motifs in intron-containing tRNAs from 18 archaea: evolutionary implications.
C. MARCK and H. GROSJEAN (2003)
RNA 9, 1516-1531
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Genetic and Biochemical Analysis of the Functional Domains of Yeast tRNA Ligase.
R. Sawaya, B. Schwer, and S. Shuman (2003)
J. Biol. Chem. 278, 43928-43938
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Two reactions of Haloferax volcanii RNA splicing enzymes: Joining of exons and circularization of introns.
S. R. SALGIA, S. K. SINGH, P. GURHA, and R. GUPTA (2003)
RNA 9, 319-330
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
tRNA transfers to the limelight.
A. K. Hopper and E. M. Phizicky (2003)
Genes & Dev. 17, 162-180
   Full Text »    PDF »
Essential Roles of Bdp1, a Subunit of RNA Polymerase III Initiation Factor TFIIIB, in Transcription and tRNA Processing.
A. Ishiguro, G. A. Kassavetis, and E. P. Geiduschek (2002)
Mol. Cell. Biol. 22, 3264-3275
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
A functional homolog of a yeast tRNA splicing enzyme is conserved in higher eukaryotes and in Escherichia coli.
S. L. Spinelli, H. S. Malik, S. A. Consaul, and E. M. Phizicky (1998)
PNAS 95, 14136-14141
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
tRNA Splicing.
J. Abelson, C. R. Trotta, and H. Li (1998)
J. Biol. Chem. 273, 12685-12688
   Full Text »    PDF »


To Advertise     Find Products

Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)