Abstract
Vault RNAs, found in vault ribonucleoprotein complexes, are known to be one of many types of small noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), but their specific function is not known. A new study identifies a small ncRNA from Trypanosome brucei as a vault RNA (vtRNA) based on sequence analysis and its association with the canonical vault component TEP1. Down-regulation of T. brucei vtRNA impairs mRNA splicing in a permeabilized cell system, suggesting new roles for these enigmatic biomolecules.
Highlights
Most eukaryotes contain a poorly understood organelle called the vault; each copy of this large (13-MDa) cytoplasmic particle is composed of 78 copies of the major vault protein (MVP),[2] fewer copies of vault poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, the telomerase-associated protein (TEP1), and vault RNA (1)
VtRNAs are small noncoding RNAs transcribed by RNA polymerase III, and they vary in length from 80 to 140 bases depending on the species
The fact that some vault RNA (vtRNA) remains, indicates that vtRNA is only partially stabilized by interacting with TEP1 and implies that the remaining nonparticulate vtRNA is stabilized by other unidentified non-vaultassociated proteins or unidentified RNAs via base-pairing. vtRNAs can be folded into a secondary structure that is similar to a second class of RNAs called Y RNAs, which, in complex with the Ro protein, are involved in RNA processing
Summary
Most eukaryotes contain a poorly understood organelle called the vault; each copy of this large (13-MDa) cytoplasmic particle is composed of 78 copies of the major vault protein (MVP),[2] fewer copies of vault poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, the telomerase-associated protein (TEP1), and vault RNA (vtRNA) (1). 2 The abbreviations used are: MVP, major vault protein; vtRNA, vault RNA; RNP, ribonucleoprotein; Pol III, polymerase III; SL, splice leader. A small fraction of total cellular vtRNA sediments as part of the vault particle (5), where it is bound into the particle in a subcomplex with TEP1.
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