DEAH-Box RNA Helicases in Pre-mRNA Splicing.

Francesca De Bortoli, Sara Espinosa, Rui Zhao

Trends in biochemical sciences 2021 Mar

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In eukaryotic cells, pre-mRNA splicing is catalyzed by the spliceosome, a highly dynamic molecular machinery that undergoes dramatic conformational and compositional rearrangements throughout the splicing cycle. These crucial rearrangements are largely driven by eight DExD/H-box RNA helicases. Interestingly, the four helicases participating in the late stages of splicing are all DEAH-box helicases that share structural similarities. This review aims to provide an overview of the structure and function of these DEAH-box helicases, including new information provided by recent cryo-electron microscopy structures of the spliceosomal complexes. Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.