Regulated RNA processing provides an important developmental mechanism that contributes to the diversity of products expressed within the nervous system. For a growing number of genes, of which the calcitonin/alpha-CGRP gene is a prototypic example, there is a distinct pre-mRNA processing pathway in the CNS. Little is known of the molecular mechanisms which regulate this neural-specific RNA processing. However, the observation that mRNA transcripts expressed from a single gene can be differentially processed in distinct cell types necessarily implies that factors that mediate pre-mRNA processing events are different in different tissues. Because small nuclear ribonucleoproteins (snRNPs) are known participants in pre-mRNA splicing events, cell specific variants of their component polypeptides or snRNAs are good candidates for factors which regulate alternative splicing. An example of a tissue-specific snRNP component which may be associated with alterative processing is the snRNP protein called N which is highly abundant in the brain. It is also likely that sequences within genes play roles in targeting transcripts to particular processing pathways. In this proposal we outline a series of experiments to explore both the sequences within gene transcripts crucial for neural specific alterative pre-mRNA processing events, and the potential regulation of these events by cell-specific snRNPs.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01GM042490-04
Application #
3301081
Study Section
Neurology C Study Section (NEUC)
Project Start
1989-07-01
Project End
1994-06-30
Budget Start
1992-07-01
Budget End
1993-06-30
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
1992
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Oregon Health and Science University
Department
Type
Organized Research Units
DUNS #
009584210
City
Portland
State
OR
Country
United States
Zip Code
97239