The differential interaction of snRNPs with pre-mRNA reveals splicing kinetics in living cells

GFP-tagged snRNP components reveal the dynamics and rate for spliceosome assembly in vivo

TALE-directed local modulation of H3K9 methylation shapes exon recognition.

In search for the function of local chromatin environment on pre-mRNA processing we established a new tool, which allows for the modification of chromatin using a targeted approach. Using Transcription Activator-Like Effector domains fused to histone modifying enzymes (TALE-HME), we show locally restricted alteration of histone methylation modulates the splicing of target exons. We provide evidence that a local increase in H3K9 di- and trimethylation promotes inclusion of the target alternative exon, while demethylation by JMJD2D leads to exon skipping. We further demonstrate that H3K9me3 is localized on internal exons genome-wide suggesting a general role in splicing. Consistently, targeting of the H3K9 demethylase to a weak constitutive exon reduced co-transcriptional splicing. Together our data show H3K9 methylation within the gene body is a factor influencing recognition of both constitutive and alternative exons

The differential interaction of snRNPs with pre-mRNA reveals splicing kinetics in living cells.

Precursor messenger RNA (pre-mRNA) splicing is catalyzed by the spliceosome, a large ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex composed of five small nuclear RNP particles (snRNPs) and additional proteins. Using live cell imaging of GFP-tagged snRNP components expressed at endogenous levels, we examined how the spliceosome assembles in vivo. A comprehensive analysis of snRNP dynamics in the cell nucleus enabled us to determine snRNP diffusion throughout the nucleoplasm as well as the interaction rates of individual snRNPs with pre-mRNA. Core components of the spliceosome, U2 and U5 snRNPs, associated with pre-mRNA for 15-30 s, indicating that splicing is accomplished within this time period. Additionally, binding of U1 and U4/U6 snRNPs with pre-mRNA occurred within seconds, indicating that the interaction of individual snRNPs with pre-mRNA is distinct. These results are consistent with the predictions of the step-wise model of spliceosome assembly and provide an estimate on the rate of splicing in human cells

Spliceosomal Small Nuclear Ribonucleoprotein Particles Repeatedly Cycle through Cajal Bodies

The Cajal body (CB) is a nuclear structure closely associated with import and biogenesis of small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particles (snRNPs). Here, we tested whether CBs also contain mature snRNPs and whether CB integrity depends on the ongoing snRNP splicing cycle. Sm proteins tagged with photoactivatable and color-maturing variants of fluorescent proteins were used to monitor snRNP behavior in living cells over time; mature snRNPs accumulated in CBs, traveled from one CB to another, and they were not preferentially replaced by newly imported snRNPs. To test whether CB integrity depends on the snRNP splicing cycle, two human orthologues of yeast proteins involved in distinct steps in spliceosome disassembly after splicing, hPrp22 and hNtr1, were depleted by small interfering RNA treatment. Surprisingly, depletion of either protein led to the accumulation of U4/U6 snRNPs in CBs, suggesting that reassembly of the U4/U6·U5 tri-snRNP was delayed. Accordingly, a relative decrease in U5 snRNPs compared with U4/U6 snRNPs was observed in CBs, as well as in nuclear extracts of treated cells. Together, the data show that particular phases of the spliceosome cycle are compartmentalized in living cells, with reassembly of the tri-snRNP occurring in CBs