The role of Snu114p during pre-mRNA splicing.

Pre-mRNA splicing is an essential step in gene expression where intron regions are removed and coding exon sequences are joined to form an mRNA for translation. Splicing is catalysed by an RNA-protein complex called the spliceosome. A number of spliceosome proteins are required for assembly and remodelling of the spliceosome with pre-mRNA to orient the splice sites correctly and catalyse the two steps of splicing. The spliceosome protein Snu114p is a GTPase that is related to the translation elongation factor EF-2. Snu114p plays a key role in spliceosome remodelling. In the present review, we briefly summarize the current knowledge of the function of Snu114p in pre-mRNA splicing and the role it plays in spliceosome dynamics.