Abstract
RNA SPECIES C and D (nomenclature of Weinberg and Penman1) are among the most abundant of the long-lived2, homodisperse, low molecular weight nuclear RNAs3, and are present in all vertebrates tested4, but their function is unknown. They have several interesting characteristics: they seem to be transcribed from multiple-copy genes (102–103 genes per genome)5,6, to pass through the cytoplasm for a few minutes shortly after their transcription3,7–10, to have 5′-end caps that are very similar to those of eukaryotic mRNAs11,12, and to be present in heterogeneous nuclear RNA-protein particles13,14. Here, we show that C and D RNA syntheses are unexpectedly sensitive to UV radiation in HeLa cells. The effect of UV radiation on RNA synthesis has been used to study the organisation of transcription units15. UV irradiation, causing random formation of pyrimidine dimers in DNA, results in premature termination of transcription. The probability of causing a UV lesion within a transcription unit is directly proportional to its length, making it possible to measure the distance between a gene and its promoter. The present UV sensitivity data are compatible with the transcription units for the low molecular weight (less than 200-nucleotide long1,11,12) RNA species C and D being as long as 5 kilobases.
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ELICEIRI, G. Sensitivity of low molecular weight RNA synthesis to UV radiation. Nature 279, 80–81 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1038/279080a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/279080a0
