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Updated: Sep 30, 2026

A Rapid High-throughput Method for Mapping Ribonucleoproteins (RNPs) on Human pre-mRNA
Published on: December 2, 2009
Beyond rRNA and snRNA: tRNA as a 2'-O-methylation target for nucleolar and Cajal body box C/D RNPs
Regina T Nostramo1, Anita K Hopper1,2
1Department of Molecular Genetics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA.
Abstract:
Box C/D small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) and small Cajal body (CB) RNAs (scaRNAs) form ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes to mediate 2'-O-methylation of rRNAs and small nuclear RNAs (snRNAs), respectively. The site of methylation is determined by antisense elements in the box C/D RNAs that are complementary to sequences in target RNAs. However, numerous box C/D RNAs in mammalian cells lack antisense elements to rRNAs or snRNAs; thus, their targets remain unknown. In this issue of Genes & Development, Vitali and Kiss (pp. 741-746) demonstrate that "orphan" nucleolar box C/D snoRNA SNORD97 and CB box C/D scaRNA SCARNA97 contain antisense elements that target the wobble cytidine at position 34 of human elongator tRNAMet(CAT) for 2'-O-methylation (C34m). C34m is jointly mediated by SNORD97 and SCARNA97 despite their apparently different intranuclear locations. Furthermore, the investigators demonstrate that C34m prohibits site-specific cleavage of tRNAMet (CAT) into tRNA fragments (tRFs) by the stress-responsive endoribonuclease angiogenin, thereby uncovering a role for SNORD97 and SCARNA97 in the biogenesis of tRFs, which modulate a diverse set of cellular functions in human health and disease.
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