Non-catalytic subunit of the tRNA-splicing endonuclease complex, a complex responsible for identification and cleavage of the splice sites in pre-tRNA. It cleaves pre-tRNA at the 5' and 3' splice sites to release the intron. The products are an intron and two tRNA half-molecules bearing 2',3' cyclic phosphate and 5'-OH termini. There are no conserved sequences at the splice sites, but the intron is invariably located at the same site in the gene, placing the splice sites an invariant distance from the constant structural features of the tRNA body. The tRNA splicing endonuclease is also involved in mRNA processing via its association with pre-mRNA 3' end processing factors, establishing a link between pre-tRNA splicing and pre-mRNA 3' end formation, suggesting that the endonuclease subunits function in multiple RNA-processing events.
tRNA splicing is a fundamental process required for cell growth and division. The first step in tRNA splicing is the removal of introns catalyzed in yeast by the tRNA splicing endonuclease. The enzyme responsible for intron removal in mammalian cells is unknown. We present the identification and characterization of the human tRNA splicing endonuclease. This enzyme consists of HsSen2, HsSen34, HsSen15, and HsSen54, homologs of the yeast tRNA endonuclease subunits. Additionally, we identified an alternatively spliced isoform of SEN2 that is part of a complex with unique RNA endonuclease activity. Surprisingly, both human endonuclease complexes are associated with pre-mRNA 3' end processing factors. Furthermore, siRNA-mediated depletion of SEN2 exhibited defects in maturation of both pre-tRNA and pre-mRNA. These findings demonstrate a link between pre-tRNA splicing and pre-mRNA 3' end formation, suggesting that the endonuclease subunits function in multiple RNA-processing events.
Splicing of tRNA substrates via recognition of the folded RNA structure that brings the 5' and 3' splice sites into proximity and cleavage of the RNA at both the 3' and 5' splice sites by an endonucleolytic mechanism, followed by ligation of the exons.
RNA interference allows the analysis of gene function by introducing synthetic, short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) into cells. In contrast to siRNA and microRNA duplexes generated endogenously by the RNaseIII endonuclease Dicer, synthetic siRNAs display a 5' OH group. However, to become incorporated into the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) and mediate target RNA cleavage, the guide strand of an siRNA needs to display a phosphate group at the 5' end. The identity of the responsible kinase has so far remained elusive. Monitoring siRNA phosphorylation, we applied a chromatographic approach that resulted in the identification of the protein hClp1 (human Clp1), a known component of both transfer RNA splicing and messenger RNA 3'-end formation machineries. Here we report that the kinase hClp1 phosphorylates and licenses synthetic siRNAs to become assembled into RISC for subsequent target RNA cleavage. More importantly, we reveal the physiological role of hClp1 as the RNA kinase that phosphorylates the 5' end of the 3' exon during human tRNA splicing, allowing the subsequent ligation of both exon halves by an unknown tRNA ligase. The investigation of this novel enzymatic activity of hClp1 in the context of mRNA 3'-end formation, where no RNA phosphorylation event has hitherto been predicted, remains a challenge for the future.
Protein involved in the processing of the primary mRNA transcript to yield a functional mRNA. This includes 5' capping, 3' cleavage and polyadenylation, as well as mRNA splicing and RNA editing.
Protein involved in the processing of the primary tRNA transcript to yield a functional tRNA. Transcription of tRNA genes results in a large precursor molecule which may even contain sequences for several tRNA molecules. This primary transcript is subsequently processed by cleavage and by modification of the appropriate bases.
A reference proteome is a set of protein sequences derived from a complete proteome which constitutes a defined standard for a particular user community. Reference proteomes are manually defined according to a number of criteria. They cover the proteomes of well- studied model organisms and other proteomes of interest for biomedical and biotechnological research. Reference proteomes have been selected to provide broad coverage of the tree of life, and constitute a representative cross-section of the taxonomic diversity to be found within UniProtKB.
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