RNA Synthesis & Splicing Flashcards
What are the 3 major ways in which most pre-mRNA’s are Processed?
Capping
Splicing
Clevage/polyadenylation
What enzymes are involved in capping?
Triphosphatase (removes terminal 5’ phosphate)
Guanylltransferase (adds GMP backwards: 5’-5’ linkage)
Guanine 7 methyltransferase (universal methyl transfer enzyme- adds methyl group from s-adenosylmethionine)
Describe the 2 steps of splicing (think lariat formation)
- Intron: 3’ A attacks 5’ GU (attack of 2’ –OH of branchpoint A)
- 3’ –OH of exon 1 attacks 5’ end of exon2
➢5’ splice site recognized by base pairing to U1snRNA
➢Branch point recognized by base pairing at U2 snRNA
What are the 2 enzymatic steps that add the 3’ polyA tail?
- clevage – endonucleic cutting (~3bp from DNA AATAAA) – exposes 3’ hydroxyls
- polyadenylation – exposed 3’ hydroxyl becomes addition site for unadenylated AAA’s (2-300)
What process is coupled with the 3’ end formation of the polyA tail?
Termination of transcription by RNA polI
What are the functions of the 5’ cap?
➢ Protects mRNA from ribonucleases, stabilizes against exonucleases
➢ Recognition site for binding proteins -> heterodimers (enhance export product)
➢ De-capped = degredation of mRNA
What is the conserved/ consensus 5’ sequence of introns?
(exon A G): G U A/G A G U
What is the conserved/ consensus 3’ sequence of introns?
U A C U A C
What is the conserved/ consensus sequence at the polyA tail?
A A U A A A
What are the 5 mechanisms of alternative splicing?
- Exon removed “skipping”
- Mutually exclusive exons
- Exon truncation/extension at 5’ end
- Eon trunication/extension at 3’ end
- Intron retained v. removed
What are 2 genetic disorders caused by splicing defects?
Marfan Syndrome (Abe Lincon)
- Dominant autosomal
- Mutation disrupts splicing of fibrillin gene transcripts (connective tissue)
- Big, strong, tall
- Weak aorta, protruding sternum
Spinal Muscular Atrophy (fatal before 2yo)
- SMN1 gene – 2 copies if 1 a dud- have phenotype
- Single amino acid difference at exon 7=> causes high frequency of skipping exon 7
- Shorter protein that doesn’t do its job
What codon starts transcription? What amino acid does it code for?
AT(U)G
Methionine (Met)
What are the 2 main functins of the polyA tail?
stabilization -> prevent degredation
enhance transcription
How can alternative polyA sites be used to make >1 protein from a single gene?
earlier or later = longer or shorter AA/ protein
Altered polyA site choice in cancer cells:
-Shortening of 3’UTR by alternative clevage/adenylation activates oncogenes in cancer cells
-Proliferating cells express mRNA’s with short 3’ UTR and fewer microRNA targets (microRNA is postranscriptional control of cell)
What 5 steps in the transcription cycle are common to prokaryotic and eukaryotic RNA polymerase?
- (Initiation) “Closed Complex” formed when polymerase binds to promoter sequence of double stranded DNA.
- (Initiation) “Open Complex” formed as polymerase melts apart double stranded DNA near transcription start site
- (Initiation) Polymerase catalyzes phosphodiester linkage(this is the precise moment of initiation) of two initial rNTPs (rNTP: ribonuclotide triphosphate – building block of RNA synthesis)
- (Elongation) RNA polymerase travels 3’-5’ on template (non-coding) strand [RNA IS SYNTHESIZED IN 5’ TO 3’ DIRECTION] -> travels down template strand -> melts DNA duplex, adds rNTPs and grow RNA
- Punctuated by starting and stopping
- Promoters escape shortly after elongation begins - (Termination) At transcription stop site CTD of polymerase is dephosphorylated and polymerase releases complete RNA, dissociates from DNA