AAUAAA signal 2026-11-05
The AAUAAA signal is a six-nucleotide RNA sequence involved in cleavage and polyadenylation of many eukaryotic pre-mRNAs. Recognition of the signal helps organize processing downstream, after which a poly(A) tail is added. The signal itself is an encoded part of the RNA; the tail is subsequently synthesized and is not simply a copied run of genomic adenines. [ref]
Mutating the signal and comparing processing of defined RNA substrates supplied a direct functional test. The result concerns a particular processing context: other surrounding sequences and protein factors also contribute, and biological polyadenylation sites can use signal variants. Sequence recognition, cleavage position and final tail length are separate features of the mature transcript.
David Zarkower Created 2026-10-20 Updated 2026-11-05
Researcher in RNA processing. Zarkower and collaborators investigated the requirement for the AAUAAA signal sequence in transcript cleavage and polyadenylation, connecting a short RNA signal with formation of a mature transcript end.[ref]
Incubate a labelled precursor messenger RNA containing an authentic -processing signal with a HeLa nuclear extract, then resolve the products by denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. With ATP, the upstream cleavage product acquires a heterogeneous poly(A) tail. Replace ATP with an appropriate non-incorporable analogue, such as alpha,beta-methylene-ATP: a discrete product ending at the normal cleavage site still appears, but the extended tail does not. Thus cleavage can occur when polyadenylation is blocked; it is not cleavage brought about by synthesis of the tail.[ref]
Accurate cleavage and polyadenylation of exogenous RNA substrate by Claire L. Moore and Phillip A. Sharp. Abstract: cleavage without polyadenylation in the presence of alpha,beta-methylene-ATP
Conversely, supply an RNA substrate already ending at the normal cleavage site: addition of ATP and the appropriate poly(A) polymerase machinery can extend its free hydroxyl without any new endonucleolytic cut.[ref]
The AAUAAA sequence is required both for cleavage and for polyadenylation of simian virus 40 pre-mRNA in vitro by David Zarkower and others. Abstract: efficient polyadenylation of pre-cleaved RNA substrates in nuclear extract
Compare precursor, pre-cleaved substrate, no-extract and no-ATP controls, and map the product ends to distinguish correct processing from non-specific degradation. These are separable reactions, normally coordinated in one processing complex. Their separability does not imply that they use completely independent recognition factors.