Before RNA copies of genes can program the synthesis of proteins, the non-coding regions are removed by the spliceosome, a complex molecular machine. The correct regulation of the splicing plays a central role for many cellular processes. By means of nuclear spin measurements and single-molecule fluorescence microscopy, a team of scientists has now discovered an unexpected mechanism in the assembly of the spliceosome.
Ribonucleic acids - RNAs for short - serve as intermediates in the ordered translation of the hereditary information stored in the DNA into blueprints for the synthesis of specific proteins. In the cell nucleus, defined segments of the DNA are first transcribed into RNA copies called messenger RNA precursors (pre-mRNAs). ...
