The crystal structure of an oligo(U):pre-mRNA duplex from a trypanosome RNA editing substrate.

ABSTRACT: Guide RNAs bind antiparallel to their target pre-mRNAs to form editing substrates in reaction cycles that insert or delete uridylates (Us) in most mitochondrial transcripts of trypanosomes. The 5' end of each guide RNA has an anchor sequence that binds to the pre-mRNA by base-pair complementarity. The template sequence in the middle of the guide RNA directs the editing reactions. The 3' ends of most guide RNAs have ∼15 contiguous Us that bind to the purine-rich unedited pre-mRNA upstream of the editing site. The resulting U-helix is rich in G·U wobble base pairs. To gain insights into the structure of the U-helix, we crystallized 8 bp of the U-helix in one editing substrate for the A6 mRNA of Trypanosoma brucei. The fragment provides three samples of the 5'-AGA-3'/5'-UUU-3' base-pair tripl

SUBMITTER: Mooers BH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3185919 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature