Ribo nucleic acid (RNA)

RNA
• Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a
polymer of purine and
pyrimidine ribonucleotides
linked together by 3′,5′-
phosphodiester bridges
analogous to those in DNA.
Types of RNA
Structural features of mRNA
Structural Characteristics of t-RNA
 Small Cytoplasmic RNA (scRNA)
• Small (7S; 129 nucleotides) RNA molecules found in the cytosol and rough endoplas
mic reticulum associated with proteins that are 
involved in specific selection and transport of other proteins.
• It is component of signal recognition particle (SRP) that are involved in specific
selection and transport of secretory proteins by recognizing the signal sequence.
• The nucleoplasm and cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells contain a large number of small
ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes, which are called small nuclear RNPs (snRNPs)
and small cytoplasmic RNPs (scRNPs).
• They are composed of one or more proteins and a small stable RNA molecule (chain
length < ~300 nucleotides). The high abundance and the evolutionary conservation
of RNA sequences within these small RNPs indicate that they have an important
biological role.
• The discovery of the scRNPs was facilitated by autoantibodies present
in sera of patients with autoimmune diseases in which antibodies
against scRNPs components were found.
• The antibodies are usually targeted against a protein epitope,
indicating that a common protein is associated with scRNPs of the
same class.
• For example, antibodies against the 60-kDa Ro protein, which is a
component of several scRNPs, also called Ro RNPs, were found in sera
of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) or with Sjogren’s
syndrome.
• Sera of such patients frequently contain autoantibodies against the
50-kDa La protein. These antigens were termed Ro and La, based on
the names of the patients in whom they were first identified.
 Viral scRNPs

• Viral scRNPs are complexes of VAI and VAII small adenovirus RNAs that
are transcribed by RNA polymerase III and have the La autoantigen as a
common protein partner.
• These viral scRNPs are highly abundant in infected cells (~108 copies per
cell) and are found in the cytoplasm.
• The ~160-nucleotide VAI RNA plays a role in enabling protein
biosynthesis late in the adenovirus life cycle.
• Due to its high abundance and its binding to the interferon-induced 68-
kDa kinase, it competes effectively with the cellular components that are
involved in the interferon-induced transcription shutdown of translation.
 Signal Recognition Particle (SRP)
• Another class of scRNPs are the signal recognition particles (SRPs)
that help translocation of secretory proteins during translation.
• Mammalian SRPs are composed of 7SL RNA of ~300 nucleotides in
length, which is complexed with six proteins having molecular weights
of 9, 14, 19, 54, 68, and 72 kDa, to form an 11 ScRNP particle.
• The 7SL SRP RNA is an abundant transcript of RNA polymerase III
(~106 copies per cell).
• It is a member of a class of mammalian intermediate-repeat
sequences called short interspersed elements ( SINES).
• The 7SL RNA has a remarkable sequence homology with the Alu
family of repetitive sequences in primates and rodents.
 Alu-Related scRNPs
• Several Alu-related small RNAs were found to accumulate stably in the
cytoplasm of rodent and primate cells.
• They are less abundant (103 to 104 copies per cell) and less well characterized
than the above described scRNPs.
• Among them are the primate scAlu RNA (120 nucleotides), the rodent scB1
(140 nucleotides), and the BC200 RNA (200 nucleotides).
• The latter is expressed specifically in nerve cells by RNA polymerase III.
• These scRNAs have Alu-like sequences at their 5′ and 3′ ends, similar to the
7SL RNA, and can be drawn in a cruciform secondary structure.
• These Alu-like scRNAs are found complexed in small cytoplasmic RNPs and
have been shown to bind the SRP14/19 heterodimer in vitro. Although the
role of these scRNPs is yet unknown, a role in translation is suggested.