Structural studies of the spliceosome: Bridging the gaps

The spliceosome is a multi-megadalton RNA–protein complex responsible for the removal of non-coding introns from pre-mRNAs. Due to its complexity and dynamic nature, it has proven to be a very challenging target for structural studies. Developments in single particle cryo-EM have overcome these prev...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Current opinion in structural biology 2022-12, Vol.77, p.102461-None, Article 102461
Main Authors: Tholen, J., Galej, W.P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Exons
Introns
RNA Precursors - chemistry
RNA Precursors - genetics
RNA Splicing
Spliceosomes - metabolism
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Summary:The spliceosome is a multi-megadalton RNA–protein complex responsible for the removal of non-coding introns from pre-mRNAs. Due to its complexity and dynamic nature, it has proven to be a very challenging target for structural studies. Developments in single particle cryo-EM have overcome these previous limitations and paved the way towards a structural characterisation of the splicing machinery. Despite tremendous progress, many aspects of spliceosome structure and function remain elusive. In particular, the events leading to the definition of exon–intron boundaries, alternative and non-canonical splicing events, and cross-talk with other cellular machineries. Efforts are being made to address these knowledge gaps and further our mechanistic understanding of the spliceosome. Here, we summarise recent progress in the structural and functional analysis of the spliceosome.
ISSN:0959-440X
1879-033X
1879-033X
DOI:10.1016/j.sbi.2022.102461