核小核糖核蛋白

核小核糖核蛋白（英文：small nuclear ribonucleoproteins，简称snRNP）是一种大型RNA-蛋白质复合物，其与未修饰的mRNA前体(pre-mRNA)和各种其他蛋白质结合形成剪接体，功能是mRNA前体的剪接。snRNP的参与对于去除mRNA前体中的内含子至关重要，仅发生在真核细胞核中RNA转录后修饰的其中一部分。另外，snRNP的变体-U7 snRNP并不参与剪接，其仅负责处理组蛋白mRNA前体的3'端。^[1]

结构

snRNP由蛋白质分子和RNA所组成，而在每个snRNP颗粒中发现的RNA则称为小核RNA（snRNA），通常长度约为150个核苷酸。snRNP的snRNA成分是借着“识别”内含子的5'和3'末端以及分支位点(branch site)的关键剪接信号序列来赋予单个内含子的特异性。snRNP中的snRNA与核糖体RNA相似，因其直接结合酶促反应和结构作用。^[2]

发现

SnRNPs是由Michael R. Lerner和Joan A. Steitz发现的^[3]^[4]。Thomas R. Cech和Sidney Altman也发现到RNA可以在细胞发育中扮演催化剂的作用，故在1989年获得诺贝尔化学奖。^[5]

参考资料

^ Schümperli, D.; R. S. Pillai. The special Sm core structure of the U7 snRNP: far-reaching significance of a small nuclear ribonucleoprotein (PDF). Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences. 2004-10-01, 61 (19–20): 2560–2570 [2021-04-17]. ISSN 1420-682X. PMID 15526162. doi:10.1007/s00018-004-4190-0. （原始内容存档 (PDF)于2019-04-28）.
^ SnRNP. ScienceDirect Topics. [2024-12-12] （英语）.
^ Lerner MR, Steitz JA. Antibodies to small nuclear RNAs complexed with proteins are produced by patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. November 1979, 76 (11): 5495–9. Bibcode:1979PNAS...76.5495R. PMC 411675 . PMID 316537. doi:10.1073/pnas.76.11.5495.
^ Lerner MR, Boyle JA, Mount SM, Wolin SL, Steitz JA. Are snRNPs involved in splicing?. Nature. January 1980, 283 (5743): 220–4. Bibcode:1980Natur.283..220L. PMID 7350545. doi:10.1038/283220a0.
^ The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1989. NobelPrize. [2024-12-12] （英语）.

外部链接

Joan Steitz's Short Talk: "SNURPs and Serendipity" （英文）（页面存档备份，存于互联网档案馆）
医学主题词表（MeSH）：snRNP（英文）

[U7_snRNP-1] Schümperli, D.; R. S. Pillai. The special Sm core structure of the U7 snRNP: far-reaching significance of a small nuclear ribonucleoprotein (PDF). Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences. 2004-10-01, 61 (19–20): 2560–2570 [2021-04-17]. ISSN 1420-682X. PMID 15526162. doi:10.1007/s00018-004-4190-0. （原始内容存档 (PDF)于2019-04-28）.

[2] SnRNP. ScienceDirect Topics. [2024-12-12] （英语）.

[3] Lerner MR, Steitz JA. Antibodies to small nuclear RNAs complexed with proteins are produced by patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. November 1979, 76 (11): 5495–9. Bibcode:1979PNAS...76.5495R. PMC 411675 . PMID 316537. doi:10.1073/pnas.76.11.5495.

[4] Lerner MR, Boyle JA, Mount SM, Wolin SL, Steitz JA. Are snRNPs involved in splicing?. Nature. January 1980, 283 (5743): 220–4. Bibcode:1980Natur.283..220L. PMID 7350545. doi:10.1038/283220a0.

[5] The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1989. NobelPrize. [2024-12-12] （英语）.

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