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Eukaryotic ribosomal RNA

Guides to 95 new angles

Nature volume 389, pages 129–130 (1997)Cite this article

More than one molecular biologist has been heard to say, “I thought pseudouridine was only found in transfer RNA”. In fact, pseudouridine — ψ, pronounced ‘psi’ — is the most abundant modified nucleoside in RNA. It was discovered in transfer RNA, but it also occurs in ribosomal RNA from all organisms, and in several small nuclear RNAs.

The pace of new discoveries on ψ in rRNA has been quick, with much of the story emerging at a recent meetingFootnote 1and from papers published in The Journal of Molecular Biology1, Cell2,3 and EMBO Journal4. A new class of ‘guide’ small nucleolar RNAs has been found to direct the formation of ψ at many target sites in eukaryotic pre-rRNA, and the results unify small nucleolar RNAs and rRNA modification in eukaryotes.

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Figure 1: Uridine (left) and pseudouridine (ψ; right), both shown within the polynucleotide backbone.
Figure 2: Selection of site(s) for ψ modification in ribosomal RNA occurs in a ‘window’ in either a 3′ or 5′ interru.

Notes

  1. *RNA Society Meeting, Banff, Canada, 27 May-1 June 1997.

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  1. School of Biological Sciences, Life Sciences Building, University of Liverpool, Crown Street, Liverpool, L69 7ZB, UK

    B. Edward H. Maden

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  1. B. Edward H. Maden
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Maden, B. Guides to 95 new angles. Nature 389, 129–130 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1038/38134

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