Abstract
The small nuclear RNAs (snRNAs) are a class of metabolically stable small RNAs present in the nuclei of eukaryotic cells1. In mammalian cells, there are six major molecular species (U1 to U6 snRNA), which are complexed with proteins, forming small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particles, snRNPs. Of these, the U1, U2, U4, U5, U6 snRNPs are thought to participate in pre-mRNA splicing as part of the spliceosome (for review, see ref. 2). Here, we describe the characterization of the gene coding for the Schizosaccharomyces pombe U6 snRNA. Unexpectedly, the Schiz. Pombe U6 RNA gene was found to contain an intron-like sequence of 50 base pairs. Northern blot analysis and RNA sequencing revealed that this intron-like sequence is precisely removed from the transcript. The mature U6 RNA of Schiz. Pombe has 77% sequence homology with the mammalian U6 RNA. In Schiz. Pombe, it is possible that U6 RNA is not only involved in pre-mRNA splicing, but is also a splicing substrate. This is the first report of an intron in a snRNA gene.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Busch, H., Reddy, R., Rothblum, L. & Choi, Y. C. A. Rev. Biochem. 51, 617–654 (1982).
Maniatis, T. & Reed, R. Nature 325, 673–678 (1987).
Kunkel, G. R., Maser, R. L., Calvel, J. P. & Pederson, T. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 83, 8575–8579 (1986).
Harada, F., Kato, N. & Nishimura, S. Biochem. biophys. Res. Commun. 95, 1332–1340 (1980).
Epstein, P., Reddy, R., Henning, D. & Busch, H. J. biol. Chem. 255, 8901–8906 (1980).
Krol, A., Carbon, P., Ebel, J.-P. & Appel, B. Nucleic Acids Res. 15, 2463–2478 (1987).
Brow, D. A. & Guthrie, C. Nature 334, 213–218 (1988).
Kiss, T., Antal, M. & Solymosy, F. Nucleic Acids Res. 15, 543–560 (1987).
Das, G., Henning, D. & Reddy, R. J. biol. Chem. 262, 1187–1193 (1987).
Rinke, J., Appel, B., Digweed, M. & Lührmann, R. J. molec. Biol. 185, 721–731 (1985).
Hashimoto, C. & Steitz, J. A. Nucleic Acids Res. 12, 3283–3293 (1984).
Lamond, A. I., Konarska, M. M., Grabowski, P. J. & Sharp, P. A. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 85, 411–415 (1988).
Käufer, N. F., Simanis, V. & Nurse, P. Nature 318, 78–80 (1985).
Reddy, R. Nucleic Acids Res. 16, r71–r85 (1988).
Das, G., Henning, D., Wright, D. & Reddy, R. EMBO J. 7, 503–512 (1988).
Reddy, R., Henning, D., Das, G., Harless, M. & Wright, D. J. biol. Chem. 262, 75–81 (1987).
Mount, S. M. Nucleic Acids Res. 10, 459–472 (1982).
Mertins, P. & Gallwitz, D. EMBO J. 6, 1757–1763 (1987).
Langford, C. J., Klinz, F.-J., Donath, C. & Gallwitz, D. Cell 36, 645–653 (1984).
Newman, A. J., Lin, R.-J., Cheng, S.-C. & Abelson, J. Cell 42, 335–344 (1985).
Ohshima, Y., Okada, N., Tani, T., Itoh, Y. & Itoh, M. Nucleic Acids Res. 9, 5145–5158 (1981).
Mayeda, A. & Ohshima, Y. Molec. cell. Biol. 8, 4484–4491 (1988).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Tani, T., Ohshima, Y. The gene for the U6 small nuclear RNA in fission yeast has an intron. Nature 337, 87–90 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1038/337087a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/337087a0
- Springer Nature Limited
This article is cited by
-
The methyl phosphate capping enzyme Bmc1/Bin3 is a stable component of the fission yeast telomerase holoenzyme
Nature Communications (2022)
-
Pre-mRNA splicing in Schizosaccharomyces pombe
Current Genetics (2003)
-
Phylogenesis of fission yeasts. Contradictions surrounding the origin of a century old genus
Antonie van Leeuwenhoek (1995)
-
Rescue of the fission yeast snRNA synthesis mutant snm1 by overexpression of the double-strand-specific Pac1 ribonuclease
Molecular and General Genetics MGG (1995)
-
The U6 small nuclear RNA gene family of potato
Plant Molecular Biology (1993)