Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 22, 2026
10:45
iCLIP - Transcriptome-wide Mapping of Protein-RNA Interactions with Individual Nucleotide Resolution
Published on: April 30, 2011
In vitro RNase and nucleic acid binding activities implicate coilin in U snRNA processing
Hanna J Broome1, Michael D Hebert
1Department of Biochemistry, The University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi, USA.
Plos One
|May 5, 2012
Summary
Coilin protein, a marker for Cajal bodies, exhibits DNA binding and RNase activity. It processes U1 and U2 small nuclear RNAs, suggesting novel roles in gene splicing beyond its known function.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Cell Biology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Coilin is the established marker protein for Cajal bodies (CBs).
- Cajal bodies are crucial for the biogenesis of small nuclear ribonucleoproteins (snRNPs) involved in pre-mRNA splicing.
- The nucleoplasmic localization and function of coilin remain incompletely understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the biochemical properties and in vitro functions of coilin.
- To explore coilin's role in the processing of U1 and U2 small nuclear RNAs (snRNAs).
Main Methods:
- In vitro assays to assess DNA binding and RNase activity of coilin.
- Coilin knockdown experiments in cells.
- Analysis of U1 and U2 snRNA processing intermediates.
Main Results:
- Coilin demonstrated double-stranded DNA binding and RNase activity in vitro.
- Coilin specifically cleaved the CU region of the U2 snRNA primary transcript.
- Coilin knockdown led to the accumulation of 3' pre-processed U1 and U2 snRNAs.
Conclusions:
- Coilin possesses novel biochemical activities, including DNA binding and specific RNase function.
- These findings suggest a direct role for coilin in the processing of U1 and U2 snRNAs.
- Coilin may have additional in vivo functions in snRNP biogenesis and pre-mRNA splicing regulation.
Related Concept Videos
01:23RNA Interference
RNA interference (RNAi) is a process in which a small non-coding RNA molecule blocks the post-transcriptional expression of a gene by binding to its messenger RNA (mRNA) and preventing the protein from being translated.
This process occurs naturally in cells, often through the activity of genomically-encoded microRNAs. Researchers can take advantage of this mechanism by introducing synthetic RNAs to deactivate specific genes for research or therapeutic purposes. For example, RNAi could be used...
This process occurs naturally in cells, often through the activity of genomically-encoded microRNAs. Researchers can take advantage of this mechanism by introducing synthetic RNAs to deactivate specific genes for research or therapeutic purposes. For example, RNAi could be used...
01:23RNA Interference
RNA interference (RNAi) is a process in which a small non-coding RNA molecule blocks the post-transcriptional expression of a gene by binding to its messenger RNA (mRNA) and preventing the protein from being translated.
This process occurs naturally in cells, often through the activity of genomically-encoded microRNAs. Researchers can take advantage of this mechanism by introducing synthetic RNAs to deactivate specific genes for research or therapeutic purposes. For example, RNAi could be used...
This process occurs naturally in cells, often through the activity of genomically-encoded microRNAs. Researchers can take advantage of this mechanism by introducing synthetic RNAs to deactivate specific genes for research or therapeutic purposes. For example, RNAi could be used...
02:39lncRNA - Long Non-coding RNAs
In humans, more than 80% of the genome gets transcribed. However, only around 2% of the genome codes for proteins. The remaining part produces non-coding RNAs which includes ribosomal RNAs, transfer RNAs, telomerase RNAs, and regulatory RNAs, among other types. A large number of regulatory non-coding RNAs have been classified into two groups depending upon their length – small non-coding RNAs, such as microRNA, which are less than 200 nucleotides in length, and long non-coding RNA (lncRNA)...
02:15Experimental RNAi
RNA interference (RNAi) is a cellular mechanism that inhibits gene expression by suppressing its transcription or activating the RNA degradation process. The mechanism was discovered by Andrew Fire and Craig Mello in 1998 in plants. Today, it is observed in almost all eukaryotes, including protozoa, flies, nematodes, insects, parasites, and mammals. This precise cellular mechanism of gene silencing has been developed into a technique that provides an efficient way to identify and determine the...
02:41Chromatin Structure Regulates pre-mRNA Processing
In eukaryotic cells, nascent mRNA transcripts need to undergo many post-transcriptional modifications to reach the cell cytoplasm and translate into functional proteins. For a long time, transcription and pre-mRNA processing were considered two independent events that occur sequentially in the cell. However, it has now been well established that transcription and pre-mRNA processing are two simultaneous processes that are precisely regulated inside the cell.
The chromatin structure, especially...
The chromatin structure, especially...
02:30siRNA - Small Interfering RNAs
Small interfering RNAs, or siRNAs, are short regulatory RNA molecules that can silence genes post-transcriptionally, as well as the transcriptional level in some cases. siRNAs are important for protecting cells against viral infections and silencing transposable genetic elements.
In the cytoplasm, siRNA is processed from a double-stranded RNA, which comes from either endogenous DNA transcription or exogenous sources like a virus. This double-stranded RNA is then cleaved by the ATP-dependent...
In the cytoplasm, siRNA is processed from a double-stranded RNA, which comes from either endogenous DNA transcription or exogenous sources like a virus. This double-stranded RNA is then cleaved by the ATP-dependent...