Synergistic defects in pre-rRNA processing from mutations in the U3-specific protein Rrp9 and U3 snoRNA.

U3 snoRNA and the associated Rrp9/U3-55K protein are essential for 18S rRNA production by the SSU-processome complex. U3 and Rrp9 are required for early pre-rRNA cleavages at sites A0, A1 and A2, but the mechanism remains unclear. Substitution of Arg 289 in Rrp9 to Ala (R289A) specifically reduced cleavage at sites A1 and A2.

Alcoholic precipitation of small non-coding RNAs.

Alcoholic precipitation is a critical step to recover RNA of high purity. This chapter describes the principles of alcoholic precipitation as well as a standard, basic protocol with key advices to observe, but numerous variations on the theme are discussed. Indeed, several important parameters, such as the choice of salt, alcohol, or carrier, have to be considered to improve the efficiency of precipitation and the yield of RNA recovery.

Small non-coding RNAs: a quick look in the rearview mirror.

The revolution of miRNA discovery, in the early 2000s, shed a new light in the exciting field of small non-coding RNAs. Since then, and owing to outstanding breakthroughs in RNomic techniques, novel small non-coding RNA families have been regularly discovered, e.g.

[Beyond usual functions of snoRNAs].

Small nucleolar RNAs or snoRNAs, principally implicated in post-transcriptional chemical modification of other RNAs, were among the first non-coding RNA identified, together with ribosomal and transfer RNA. Lately, snoRNA have been involved in various unexpected functions, which renewed researcher's interest for these molecules. SnoRNA processing into smaller functional RNA species (sdRNA for snoRNA-derived RNA) or into miRNA (sno-miR), snoRNA mediated regulation of messenger RNA alternative splicing or snoRNA links to human disorders, including cancers, are some of the topics developed in this review.