Science · 1987 · 922 citations · 112 references
Life SciencesMolecular BiologyMolecular GeneticsGene ExpressionRna BiologyRna ProcessingAlternative SplicingRna SplicingRna StructureSmall Nuclear Rna BiologyLariat FormationSelf-splicing IntronsSmall Nuclear Ribonucleoprotein ComplexesSpliceosome ComplexesU2 Small Nuclear RnaU5 Small Nuclear RibonucleoproteinU5 Small Nuclear RnaU6 Small Nuclear Ribonucleoprotein
A general mechanism for the splicing of nuclear messenger RNA precursors in eukaryotic cells has been widely accepted. This mechanism, which generates lariat RNAs possessing a branch site, seems related to the RNA-catalyzed reactions of self-splicing introns. The splicing of nuclear messenger RNA precursors involves the formation of a multicomponent complex, the spliceosome. This splicing body contains at least three different small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particles (snRNPs), U2, U5, and U4 + U6. A complex containing precursor RNA and the U2 snRNP particle is a likely intermediate in the formation of the spliceosome.
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