Three-dimensional structure of the native spliceosome by cryo-electron microscopy

Splicing of pre-mRNA occurs in a multicomponent macromolecular machine--the spliceosome. The spliceosome can be assembled in vitro by a stepwise assembly of a number of snRNPs and additional proteins on exogenously added pre-mRNA. In contrast, splicing in vivo occurs in preformed particles where endogenous pre-mRNAs are packaged with all five spliceosomal U snRNPs (penta-snRNP) together with other splicing factors. Here we present a three-dimensional image reconstruction by cryo-electron microscopy of native spliceosomes, derived from cell nuclei, at a resolution of 20 angstroms. The structure revealed an elongated globular particle made up of two distinct subunits connected to each other leaving a tunnel in between. We show here that the larger subunit is a suitable candidate to accommodate the penta-snRNP, and that the tunnel could accommodate the pre-mRNA component of the spliceosome. The features this structure reveals provide new insight into the global architecture of the native splicing machine.