Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 17, 2026

A Reporter Based Cellular Assay for Monitoring Splicing Efficiency
08:53

A Reporter Based Cellular Assay for Monitoring Splicing Efficiency

Published on: September 15, 2021

Evolutionarily conserved spliceosome-exosome pathway in nuclear mRNA surveillance

Daniel K Abbas1, Fabien Bonneau1, Max E Wilkinson2

  • 1Department of Structural Cell Biology, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Munich 82152, Germany.

Genes & Development
|May 15, 2026
PubMed

Insights

The LENG8-PCID2 complex connects nuclear messenger ribonucleoprotein (mRNP) particles to the exosome for degradation, revealing a conserved spliceosome-exosome decay pathway. This pathway ensures proper RNA processing and nuclear export.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • RNA Biology
  • Cellular Surveillance

Background:

  • Intron-containing messenger RNAs (mRNAs) undergo cotranscriptional splicing and assembly into messenger ribonucleoprotein (mRNP) particles.
  • Cellular surveillance pathways monitor mRNP biogenesis, directing them towards either nuclear degradation or cytoplasmic export.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the mechanisms governing the sorting of mRNPs between nuclear degradation and cytoplasmic export.
  • To identify the molecular players involved in coupling mRNPs to nuclear degradation pathways.

Main Methods:

  • Biochemical approaches
  • Structural biology techniques
  • Analysis of protein-protein interactions

Main Results:

  • The LENG8-PCID2 complex acts as an mRNP decay connector, linking nuclear mRNPs to the RNA-degrading exosome via the PAXT adaptor complex.
  • LENG8-PCID2 interacts with the mRNP component UAP56 and early splicing factors U1A and RRP1B.
  • A conserved pathway involving Thp3-Csn12 and Mud2-Bbp in budding yeast couples early splicing factors to the nuclear exosome.

Conclusions:

  • A novel spliceosome-exosome mRNP decay pathway has been uncovered.
  • This pathway demonstrates striking evolutionary conservation in molecular principles between humans and budding yeast.
  • The findings reveal conserved mechanisms for RNA quality control during mRNP biogenesis.
Keywords:
BioIDRRP1BTREX-2UAP56cryo-EMexosome-mediated decaymRNA exportmissplicingquality control

More Related Videos

Using the E1A Minigene Tool to Study mRNA Splicing Changes10:25

Using the E1A Minigene Tool to Study mRNA Splicing Changes

Published on: April 22, 2021

Related Concept Videos

Nuclear Export of mRNA02:31

Nuclear Export of mRNA

Before mRNAs are exported to the cytoplasm, it is crucial to check each mRNA for structural and functional integrity. Eukaryotic cells use several different mechanisms, collectively known as mRNA surveillance, to look for irregularities in mRNAs. Irregular or aberrant mRNA are rapidly degraded by various enzymes. If a defective mRNA escapes the surveillance, it would be translated into a protein which would either be non-functional or not function properly. One of the primary irregularities in...
Nuclear Export of mRNA02:31

Nuclear Export of mRNA

Before mRNAs are exported to the cytoplasm, it is crucial to check each mRNA for structural and functional integrity. Eukaryotic cells use several different mechanisms, collectively known as mRNA surveillance, to look for irregularities in mRNAs. Irregular or aberrant mRNA are rapidly degraded by various enzymes. If a defective mRNA escapes the surveillance, it would be translated into a protein which would either be non-functional or not function properly. One of the primary irregularities in...
Nonsense-mediated mRNA Decay02:27

Nonsense-mediated mRNA Decay

The Upf proteins that carry out nonsense-mediated decay (NMD) are found in all eukaryotic organisms, including humans. Each protein has an individual role, but they need to work in collaboration. Upf1 is an ATP-dependent RNA helicase that unwinds the RNA helix. Because Upf1 can unwind any RNA, Upf2 and Upf3 are required to help Upf1 discriminate between nonsense and normal mRNAs.
Usually, Upf3 binds to an Exon Junction Complex (EJC) at mRNA splice sites. If a ribosome fully translates the mRNA,...
Nonsense-mediated mRNA Decay02:27

Nonsense-mediated mRNA Decay

The Upf proteins that carry out nonsense-mediated decay (NMD) are found in all eukaryotic organisms, including humans. Each protein has an individual role, but they need to work in collaboration. Upf1 is an ATP-dependent RNA helicase that unwinds the RNA helix. Because Upf1 can unwind any RNA, Upf2 and Upf3 are required to help Upf1 discriminate between nonsense and normal mRNAs.
Usually, Upf3 binds to an Exon Junction Complex (EJC) at mRNA splice sites. If a ribosome fully translates the mRNA,...
RNA Splicing01:32

RNA Splicing

Splicing is the process by which eukaryotic RNA is edited before its translation into protein. The RNA strand transcribed from eukaryotic DNA is called the primary transcript. The primary transcripts that become mRNAs are called precursor messenger RNAs (pre-mRNAs). Eukaryotic pre-mRNA contains alternating sequences of exons and introns. Exons are nucleotide sequences that code for proteins, whereas introns are the non-coding regions. In RNA splicing, introns are removed and exons are bonded...
RNA Splicing01:32

RNA Splicing

Splicing is the process by which eukaryotic RNA is edited before its translation into protein. The RNA strand transcribed from eukaryotic DNA is called the primary transcript. The primary transcripts that become mRNAs are called precursor messenger RNAs (pre-mRNAs). Eukaryotic pre-mRNA contains alternating sequences of exons and introns. Exons are nucleotide sequences that code for proteins, whereas introns are the non-coding regions. In RNA splicing, introns are removed and exons are bonded...