Role for the splicing factor TCERG1 in Cajal body integrity and snRNP assembly

J Cell Sci. 2019 Nov 14;132(22):jcs232728. doi: 10.1242/jcs.232728.

Abstract

Cajal bodies are nuclear organelles involved in the nuclear phase of small nuclear ribonucleoprotein (snRNP) biogenesis. In this study, we identified the splicing factor TCERG1 as a coilin-associated factor that is essential for Cajal body integrity. Knockdown of TCERG1 disrupts the localization of the components of Cajal bodies, including coilin and NOLC1, with coilin being dispersed in the nucleoplasm into numerous small foci, without affecting speckles, gems or the histone locus body. Furthermore, the depletion of TCERG1 affects the recruitment of Sm proteins to uridine-rich small nuclear RNAs (snRNAs) to form the mature core snRNP. Taken together, the results of this study suggest that TCERG1 plays an important role in Cajal body formation and snRNP biogenesis.

Keywords: Cajal body; Coilin; Splicing; TCERG1; snRNPs.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Coiled Bodies / physiology*
  • Humans
  • RNA Splicing
  • RNA Splicing Factors / genetics*
  • Ribonucleoproteins, Small Nuclear / genetics
  • Ribonucleoproteins, Small Nuclear / metabolism*
  • Transcriptional Elongation Factors / genetics*
  • Transcriptional Elongation Factors / metabolism

Substances

  • RNA Splicing Factors
  • Ribonucleoproteins, Small Nuclear
  • SF1 protein, human
  • TCERG1 protein, human
  • Transcriptional Elongation Factors