RNA editing and alternative splicing: the importance of co-transcriptional coordination

EMBO Rep. 2006 Mar;7(3):303-7. doi: 10.1038/sj.embor.7400621. Epub 2006 Jan 27.

Abstract

The carboxy-terminal domain (CTD) of the large subunit of RNA polymerase II (pol II) is essential for several co-transcriptional pre-messenger RNA processing events, including capping, 3'-end processing and splicing. We investigated the role of the CTD of RNA pol II in the coordination of A to I editing and splicing of the ADAR2 (ADAR: adenosine deaminases that act on RNA) pre-mRNA. The auto-editing of Adar2 intron 4 by the ADAR2 adenosine deaminase is tightly coupled to splicing, as the modification of the dinucleotide AA to AI creates a new 3' splice site. Unlike other introns, the CTD is not required for efficient splicing of intron 4 at either the normal 3' splice site or the alternative site created by editing. However, the CTD is required for efficient co-transcriptional auto-editing of ADAR2 intron 4. Our results implicate the CTD in site-selective RNA editing by ADAR2 and in coordination of editing with alternative splicing.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adenosine Deaminase* / genetics
  • Adenosine Deaminase* / metabolism
  • Alternative Splicing*
  • Animals
  • Base Sequence
  • Humans
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Nucleic Acid Conformation
  • RNA / genetics
  • RNA / metabolism*
  • RNA Editing*
  • RNA Polymerase II / metabolism
  • RNA-Binding Proteins
  • Rats
  • Transcription, Genetic*

Substances

  • RNA-Binding Proteins
  • RNA
  • RNA Polymerase II
  • ADARB1 protein, human
  • Adenosine Deaminase