Molecular characterization of the spliceosomal proteins U1A and U2B" from higher plants

In addition to their role in pre-mRNA splicing, the human spliceosomal proteins U1A and U2B" are important models of how RNP motif-containing proteins execute sequence-specific RNA binding. Genes encoding U1A and U2B" have been isolated from potato and thereby provide the only evolutionary comparison available for both proteins and represent the only full-length genes encoding plant spliceosomal proteins to have been cloned and characterized. In vitro RNA binding experiments revealed the ability of potato U2B" to interact with human U2A' to enhance sequence-specific binding and to distinguish cognate RNAs of either plant or animal origin. A comparison of the sequence of U1A and U2B" proteins indicated that multiple residues which could affect RNP motif conformation probably govern the specific distinction in RNA binding by these proteins. Since human U1A modulates polyadenylation in vertebrates, the possibility that plant U1A might be exploited in the characterization of this process in plants was examined. However, unlike vertebrate U1A, neither U1A from potato nor Arabidopsis bound their own mRNA and no evidence for binding to upstream efficiency elements in polyadenylation signals was obtained, suggesting that plant U1A is not involved in polyadenylation.