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A specific SR protein binds preferentially to the secretory protein gene transcripts in salivary glands of Chironomus tentans

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Abstract

The members of the serine–arginine (SR) family of proteins play multiple roles in posttranscriptional gene expression. Initially considered as essential splicing factors confined to the nucleus and regulating constitutive and alternative splicing, SR proteins are now known to shuttle between the nucleus and the cytoplasm and to be involved in mRNA biogenesis, transport, and translation. In Chironomus tentans, hrp45 is an SR protein structurally similar to the Drosophila SRp55/B52 SR protein. We have studied how hrp45, hrp36 [a heterogenous nuclear ribonucleoprotein (hnRNP) protein], and small nuclear RNP (snRNP) proteins are distributed in the transcriptionally active loci of polytene chromosomes in C. tentans. Immunofluorescence visualization of the proteins in double-labeling experiments revealed that hrp45 preferentially associates with a small number of puffs. On the other hand, hrp36 and snRNP proteins were found distributed in a large number of loci with little quantitative difference. Remarkably, hrp45-labeled loci coincide with the sites of transcription of premessenger RNPs of secretory protein (sp) genes. Because the labeling was found sensitive to RNase A treatment, we conclude that the SR protein hrp45 preferentially binds to sp gene transcripts in salivary gland cells. The preferential association of a specific SR protein with a particular type of gene transcripts reflects substrate-specific function(s) of an SR protein, in vivo. The possible roles that hrp45 might be playing in speedy and efficient processing of sp gene transcripts are discussed.

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Acknowledgements

We thank J. A. Steitz for generously providing the antibody Y12; Lise-Marie Fjelkestam and Birgitta Björkroth for technical assistance; and Sergej Masich for helping with the computer. This study was supported by the Swedish Research Council. OPS was a recipient of a fellowship from the Wenner–Gren Foundations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Medical Nobel Institute, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, 171 77, Sweden

    Om Prakash Singh & Bertil Daneholt

  2. Department of Molecular Biology and Functional Genomics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, 106 91, Sweden

    Neus Visa & Lars Wieslander

  3. Centre for Environmental Studies, North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong, 793022, India

    Om Prakash Singh

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  1. Om Prakash Singh
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  2. Neus Visa
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  3. Lars Wieslander
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  4. Bertil Daneholt
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Correspondence to Bertil Daneholt.

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Communicated by E.A. Nigg

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Singh, O.P., Visa, N., Wieslander, L. et al. A specific SR protein binds preferentially to the secretory protein gene transcripts in salivary glands of Chironomus tentans . Chromosoma 115, 449–458 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00412-006-0073-5

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