Single molecule imaging of mRNA splicing.

Most eukaryotic mRNA precursors (pre-mRNAs) are interrupted by non-coding intervening sequences known as introns which must be precisely and efficiently removed to yield correct mature mRNAs. The process of intron excision, pre-mRNA splicing, takes place in a multicomponent ribonucleoprotein complexes which assemble in a stepwise pathway. Extensive studies, both genetic and biochemical, have revealed that numerous protein factors function to achieve fidelity in splicing, however the details of this process is poorly understood. We have developed a splicing assay system using the single molecule imaging technique to study the kinetics of the splicing reaction.