tRNA Splicing Endonuclease 34 (TSEN34)

tRNA splicing is a fundamental process required for cell growth and division. SEN34 is a subunit of the tRNA splicing endonuclease, which catalyzes the removal of introns, the first step in tRNA splicing .

SEN34 contains 315 amino acids. Human and yeast SEN34 are highly homologous, particularly in the active site domain. Immunofluorescence microscopy of transfected HeLa cells localized SEN34 to the nucleus, and it was frequently found in nucleoli in dot-like structures.Small interfering RNA-mediated depletion of SEN2 led to defects in maturation of both pre-tRNA and pre-mRNA. These findings demonstrated a link between pre-tRNA splicing and pre-mRNA 3-prime end formation, suggesting that the endonuclease subunits function in multiple RNA processing events.