TSitologiya i Genetika 2014, vol. 48, no. 6, 40-44
Cytology and Genetics , vol. , no. , , doi: https://www.doi.org/

P element temperature-specific transposition: a model for possible regulation of mobile elements activity by pre-mRNA secondary structure

Gultyaev A., Redchuk T., Korolova A., Kozeretska I.

  • Leiden Institute of Chemistry, Netherlands
  • Palladin Institute of Biochemistry, Kyiv, Ukraine
  • Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Ukraine

P element is a DNA transposon, known to spread in genome using transposase activity. Its activity is tissue-specific and normally observed at high temperatures within 24 ºC to 29 ºC. Here, we present a predicted RNA secondary structure domain of P element pre-mRNA which could potentially regulate the temperature sensitivity of the P element activity. In canonical P elements, the structure is a small hairpin with double-helical part interrupted by a symmetric loop and a mismatch. In M type P elements, the A.A mismatch is substituted by an A-U base pair, stabilizing the structure. The hairpin structure covers the region involving the IVS-3 5’ splice site and both pseudo-splice sites F1 and F2. While the IVS-3 and F1 binding sites of U1 snRNA are located in the double-stranded part of the structure, the F2 site is exposed in the hairpin loop. The formation of this structure may interfere with landing of U1 snRNA on IVS-3 site, while F2 is positioned for the interaction. Alignment of P element sequences supports the proposed existence of the hairpin, showing high similarity for this region. The hairpin structure, stable at low temperatures, may prevent correct IVS-3 splicing. Conversely, temperature-induced destabilization of the hairpin structure may result in the splicing at the proper IVS-3 splice site. Taking into account the increasing amount of data demonstrating the important influence of RNA folding on phenotypes determined by alternative splicing a model for possible regulation of the activity of mobile elements by pre-mRNA secondary structure seems intriguing.

Keywords: P element, RNA structure, alternative splicing, transposase

TSitologiya i Genetika
2014, vol. 48, no. 6, 40-44

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