A-to-I RNA editing is a widespread post-transcriptional modification event in vertebrates. It could increase transcriptome and proteome diversity through recoding the genomic information and cross-linking other regulatory events, such as those mediated by alternative splicing, RNAi and microRNA (miRNA). Previous studies indicated that RNA editing can occur in a tissue-specific manner in respons...

RNA editing is a novel RNA processing event of unknown mechanism that results in the introduction of nucleotides not encoded in the DNA into specific RNA molecules. We have examined the post-transcriptional addition of nucleotides into the mitochondrial RNA of Trypanosoma brucei. Utilizing an isolated organelle system we have determined that addition of uridines to edited RNAs does not require ...

Uridine insertion/deletion RNA editing in trypanosomatid mitochondria is a posttranscriptional RNA modification phenomenon required for translation of mitochondrial mRNAs. This process involves guide RNA-mediated cleavage at a specific site, insertion or deletion of Us from the 3' end of the 5' mRNA fragment, and ligation of the two mRNA fragments. The Leishmania major RNA ligase-containing com...

RNA editing can alter individual nucleotides in primary transcripts, which can cause the amino acids encoded by edited RNA to deviate from the ones predicted from the DNA template. We investigated RNA editing sites of protein-coding genes from the chloroplast genome of cotton. Fifty-four editing sites were identified in 27 transcripts, which is the highest editing frequency found until no...

Trypanosome RNA editing, the posttranscriptional insertion and deletion of U residues in mitochondrial transcripts, is catalyzed by a protein complex containing seven distinct proteins. In this study, we cloned the gene for band III, a 555-amino-acid protein with two separate zinc finger motifs. We prepared antibodies that showed band III protein cofractionates with the previously characterized...

RNA editing in land plant organelles is a process primarily involving the conversion of cytidine to uridine in pre-mRNAs. The process is required for gene expression in plant organelles, because this conversion alters the encoded amino acid residues and improves the sequence identity to homologous proteins. A recent study uncovered that proteins encoded in the nuclear genome are essential for e...

Understanding of the RNA editing process has been broadened considerably by the next generation sequencing technology; however, several issues regarding this regulatory step remain unresolved--the strategies to accurately delineate the editome, the mechanism by which its profile is maintained, and its evolutionary and functional relevance. Here we report an accurate and quantitative profile of ...

We have synthesized structural analogs of a natural RNA editing substrate and compared editing reactions of these substrates by recombinant ADAR-2, an RNA-editing adenosine deaminase. Deamination rates were shown to be sensitive to structural changes at the 2[prime]-carbon of the edited adenosine. Methylation of the 2[prime]-OH caused a large decrease in deamination rate, whereas 2[prime]-deoxy...

RNA editing, particularly A-to-I RNA editing, has been shown to play an essential role in mammalian embryonic development and tissue homeostasis, and is implicated in the pathogenesis of many diseases including skin pigmentation disorder, autoimmune and inflammatory tissue injury, neuron degeneration, and various malignancies. A-to-I RNA editing is carried out by a small group of enzymes, the a...

Mammalian apolipoprotein B (apoB) C to U RNA editing is catalyzed by a multicomponent holoenzyme containing a single catalytic subunit, apobec-1. We have characterized an apobec-1 homologue, ARCD-1, located on chromosome 6p21.1, and determined its role in apoB mRNA editing. ARCD-1 mRNA is ubiquitously expressed; phylogenetic analysis reveals it to be a distant member of the RNA editing family. ...