Pre-mRNA Processing Factor 8 (PRPF8)

PRPF8 is a component of mammalian spliceosomes, large multiprotein complexes involved in the removal of introns from mRNA precursors.The deduced 2,335-amino acid protein has a calculated molecular mass of 274 kD. Overall, PRP8 shares 86% identity with the nematode protein and 62% identity with S. cerevisiae Prp8. A central 290-amino acid stretch shows the highest identity, and the least conserved regions are located at the N and C termini. Northern blot analysis revealed highest expression of a 7.8-kb transcript in skeletal muscle and heart, with lower expression in pancreas, kidney, lung, placenta, and brain, and almost undetectable expression in liver.PRPF8 protein has a central structural role in the architecture of the U5 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein (snRNP) particle.