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Biomedical subjects

Concepción Martínez

Publications and source records attributed to Concepción Martínez.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

Regulation of Fas alternative splicing by antagonistic effects of TIA-1 and PTB on exon definition.

Fas exon 6 can be included or skipped to generate mRNAs encoding, respectively, a membrane bound form of the receptor that promotes apoptosis or a soluble isoform that prevents programmed cell death. We report that the apoptosis-inducing protein TIA-1 promotes U1 snRNP binding to the 5' splice site of intron 6, which in turn facilitates exon definition by enhancing U2AF binding to the 3' splice site of intron 5. The polypyrimidine tract binding protein (PTB) promotes exon skipping by binding to an exonic splicing silencer and inhibiting the association of U2AF and U2 snRNP with the upstream 3' splice site, without affecting recognition of the downstream 5' splice site by U1. Remarkably, U1 snRNP-mediated recognition of the 5' splice site is required both for efficient U2AF binding and for U2AF inhibition by PTB. We propose that TIA-1 and PTB regulate Fas splicing and possibly Fas-mediated apoptosis by targeting molecular events that lead to exon definition.

Alternative Splicing↗

Ovarian maldescent.

Undescended ovary is a rare disorder that can be associated with müllerian malformations. There is an unclear association with infertility and malignant disease. When an ovary is not in its normal location, it is sought in other locations above the pelvic brim. This is important in cases of undetermined cyclical abdominal pain, follicle aspiration and surgical castration. MRI has proven to be the best imaging method for finding an ovary in an anomalous position and for disregarding associated malformations. We report two patients with unilateral ovarian maldescent, one of them with Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome. A review of the literature is included.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗

U2 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particle (snRNP) auxiliary factor of 65 kDa, U2AF65, can promote U1 snRNP recruitment to 5' splice sites.

The splicing factor U2AF(65), U2 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particle (snRNP) auxillary factor of 65 kDa, binds to pyrimidine-rich sequences at 3' splice sites to recruit U2 snRNP to pre-mRNAs. We report that U2AF(65) can also promote the recruitment of U1 snRNP to weak 5' splice sites that are followed by uridine-rich sequences. The arginine- and serine-rich domain of U2AF(65) is critical for U1 recruitment, and we discuss the role of its RNA-RNA annealing activity in this novel function of U2AF(65).

Cell Nucleus↗

The splicing regulator TIA-1 interacts with U1-C to promote U1 snRNP recruitment to 5' splice sites.

The U1 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein (U1 snRNP) binds to the pre-mRNA 5' splice site (ss) at early stages of spliceosome assembly. Recruitment of U1 to a class of weak 5' ss is promoted by binding of the protein TIA-1 to uridine-rich sequences immediately downstream from the 5' ss. Here we describe a molecular dissection of the activities of TIA-1. RNA recognition motifs (RRMs) 2 and 3 are necessary and sufficient for binding to the pre-mRNA. The non- consensus RRM1 and the C-terminal glutamine-rich (Q) domain are required for association with U1 snRNP and to facilitate its recruitment to 5' ss. Co-precipitation experiments revealed a specific and direct interaction involving the N-terminal region of the U1 protein U1-C and the Q-rich domain of TIA-1, an interaction enhanced by RRM1. The results argue that binding of TIA-1 in the vicinity of a 5' ss helps to stabilize U1 snRNP recruitment, at least in part, via a direct interaction with U1-C, thus providing one molecular mechanism for the function of this splicing regulator.

Alternative Splicing↗