This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Bernstein, L B Articles by Weiner, A M Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Bernstein, L B Articles by Weiner, A M

Next Article 

Mol Cell Biol. 1985 September; 5(9): 2159-2171

Human U1 small nuclear RNA genes: extensive conservation of flanking sequences suggests cycles of gene amplification and transposition.

ABSTRACT

The DNA immediately flanking the 164-base-pair U1 RNA coding region is highly conserved among the approximately 30 human U1 genes. The U1 multigene family also contains many U1 pseudogenes (designated class I) with striking although imperfect flanking homology to the true U1 genes. Using cosmid vectors, we now have cloned, characterized, and partially sequenced three 35-kilobase (kb) regions of the human genome spanning U1 homologies. Two clones contain one true U1 gene each, and the third bears two class I pseudogenes 9 kb apart in the opposite orientation. We show by genomic blotting and by direct DNA sequence determination that the conserved sequences surrounding U1 genes are much more extensive than previously estimated: nearly perfect sequence homology between many true U1 genes extends for at least 24 kb upstream and at least 20 kb downstream from the U1 coding region. In addition, the sequences of the two new pseudogenes provide evidence that class I U1 pseudogenes are more closely related to each other than to true genes. Finally, it is demonstrated elsewhere (Lindgren et al., Mol. Cell. Biol. 5:2190-2196, 1985) that both true U1 genes and class I U1 pseudogenes map to chromosome 1, but in separate clusters located far apart on opposite sides of the centromere. Taken together, these results suggest a model for the evolution of the U1 multigene family. We speculate that the contemporary family of true U1 genes was derived from a more ancient family of U1 genes (now class I U1 pseudogenes) by gene amplification and transposition. Gene amplification provides the simplest explanation for the clustering of both U1 genes and class I pseudogenes and for the conservation of at least 44 kb of DNA flanking the U1 coding region in a large fraction of the 30 true U1 genes.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Pavelitz, T., Bailey, A. D., Elco, C. P., Weiner, A. M. (2008). Human U2 snRNA Genes Exhibit a Persistently Open Transcriptional State and Promoter Disassembly at Metaphase. Mol. Cell. Biol. 28: 3573-3588 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Jacobs, E. Y., Ogiwara, I., Weiner, A. M. (2004). Role of the C-Terminal Domain of RNA Polymerase II in U2 snRNA Transcription and 3' Processing. Mol. Cell. Biol. 24: 846-855 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Schramm, L., Pendergrast, P. S., Sun, Y., Hernandez, N. (2000). Different human TFIIIB activities direct RNA polymerase III transcription from TATA-containing and TATA-less promoters. Genes Dev. 14: 2650-2663 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Li, Z., Yu, A., Weiner, A. M. (1998). Adenovirus Type 12-Induced Fragility of the Human RNU2 Locus Requires p53 Function. J. Virol. 72: 4183-4191 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Li, Z., Bailey, A. D., Buchowski, J., Weiner, A. M. (1998). A Tandem Array of Minimal U1 Small Nuclear RNA Genes Is Sufficient To Generate a New Adenovirus Type 12Inducible Chromosome Fragile Site. J. Virol. 72: 4205-4211 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Bailey, A. D., Pavelitz, T., Weiner, A. M. (1998). The Microsatellite Sequence (CT)n · (GA)n Promotes Stable Chromosomal Integration of Large Tandem Arrays of Functional Human U2 Small Nuclear RNA Genes. Mol. Cell. Biol. 18: 2262-2271 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Wohr, G, Fink, T, Assum, G (1996). A palindromic structure in the pericentromeric region of various human chromosomes.. Genome Res 6: 267-279 [Abstract]  
• Yuo, C Y, Weiner, A M (1989). Genetic analysis of the role of human U1 snRNA in mRNA splicing: I. Effect of mutations in the highly conserved stem-loop I of U1.. Genes Dev. 3: 697-707 [Abstract]