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PMID: 10588665 Published · ppublish English Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

Assembly of the nuclear transcription and processing machinery: Cajal bodies (coiled bodies) and transcriptosomes.

Molecular biology of the cell ·Vol. 10 ·No. 12 ·1999-12-00 ·Pages 4385-402

Gall JG, Bellini M, Wu Z, Murphy C

Abstract

We have examined the distribution of RNA transcription and processing factors in the amphibian oocyte nucleus or germinal vesicle. RNA polymerase I (pol I), pol II, and pol III occur in the Cajal bodies (coiled bodies) along with various components required for transcription and processing of the three classes of nuclear transcripts: mRNA, rRNA, and pol III transcripts. Among these components are transcription factor IIF (TFIIF), TFIIS, splicing factors, the U7 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particle, the stem-loop binding protein, SR proteins, cleavage and polyadenylation factors, small nucleolar RNAs, nucleolar proteins that are probably involved in pre-rRNA processing, and TFIIIA. Earlier studies and data presented here show that several of these components are first targeted to Cajal bodies when injected into the oocyte and only subsequently appear in the chromosomes or nucleoli, where transcription itself occurs. We suggest that pol I, pol II, and pol III transcription and processing components are preassembled in Cajal bodies before transport to the chromosomes and nucleoli. Most components of the pol II transcription and processing pathway that occur in Cajal bodies are also found in the many hundreds of B-snurposomes in the germinal vesicle. Electron microscopic images show that B-snurposomes consist primarily, if not exclusively, of 20- to 30-nm particles, which closely resemble the interchromatin granules described from sections of somatic nuclei. We suggest the name pol II transcriptosome for these particles to emphasize their content of factors involved in synthesis and processing of mRNA transcripts. We present a model in which pol I, pol II, and pol III transcriptosomes are assembled in the Cajal bodies before export to the nucleolus (pol I), to the B-snurposomes and eventually to the chromosomes (pol II), and directly to the chromosomes (pol III). The key feature of this model is the preassembly of the transcription and processing machinery into unitary particles. An analogy can be made between ribosomes and transcriptosomes, ribosomes being unitary particles involved in translation and transcriptosomes being unitary particles for transcription and processing of RNA.

MeSH Terms
Animals Cell Nucleolus/metabolism,ultrastructure Cell Nucleus/metabolism,ultrastructure DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases/metabolism Female Fluorescent Antibody Technique In Situ Hybridization Microscopy, Electron Notophthalmus viridescens Oocytes/cytology,metabolism,ultrastructure RNA Polymerase I/metabolism RNA Polymerase II/metabolism RNA Polymerase III/metabolism Ribonucleoproteins, Small Nuclear/metabolism Transcription Factors/metabolism Transcription, Genetic/physiology Xenopus laevis
Chemicals
Ribonucleoproteins, Small Nuclear Transcription Factors RNA Polymerase II DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases RNA Polymerase I RNA Polymerase III
Authors & Affiliations
4 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Gall J G
Department of Embryology, Carnegie Institution, Baltimore, Maryland 21210, USA. gall@mail1.ciwemb.edu
Bellini M
Wu Z
Murphy C
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Article Info
Journal
Molecular biology of the cell
Abbr.
Mol Biol Cell
ISSN
1059-1524
DOI
10.1091/mbc.10.12.4385
Email
gall@mail1.ciwemb.edu
Published
1999-12-00
Pages
4385-402
Language
English
Region
United States
NLM ID
9201390
PMCID
PMC25765
Subset
IM
Grants
NIGMS NIH HHS · R01 GM033397 · United States
NIGMS NIH HHS · R37 GM033397 · United States
NIGMS NIH HHS · GM-33397 · United States
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.1091/mbc.10.12.4385 PMC Full Text View journal details
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