Genetic depletion reveals an essential role for an SR protein splicing factor in vertebrate cells
✍ Scribed by Stephen M. Mount
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1997
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 464 KB
- Volume
- 19
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0265-9247
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
SR proteins are essential for the splicing of messenger RNA precursors in vitro, where they also alter splice site selection in a concentration-dependent manner. Although experiments involving overexpression or dominant mutations have confirmed that these proteins can influence RNA processing decisions in vivo, similar results with loss-of-function mutations have been lacking. Now, a system for genetic depletion of the chicken B cell line DT40 has revealed that the SR protein ASF/SF2 (alternative splicing factor/splicing factor 2) is essential for viability in these cells(1). This study opens the way for a complete functional dissection of this protein, and other SR proteins, in vivo.