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Updated: May 29, 2026
Analysis of RNA Processing Reactions Using Cell Free Systems: 3' End Cleavage of Pre-mRNA Substrates in vitro
Published on: May 3, 2014
Pre-mRNA 3'-end processing complex assembly and function
Serena Chan1, Eun-A Choi, Yongsheng Shi
1Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA.
None:
The 3'-ends of almost all eukaryotic mRNAs are formed in a two-step process, an endonucleolytic cleavage followed by polyadenylation (the addition of a poly-adenosine or poly(A) tail). These reactions take place in the pre-mRNA 3' processing complex, a macromolecular machinery that consists of more than 20 proteins. A general framework for how the pre-mRNA 3' processing complex assembles and functions has emerged from extensive studies over the past several decades using biochemical, genetic, computational, and structural approaches. In this article, we review what we have learned about this important cellular machine and discuss the remaining questions and future challenges.
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