Processing of pre-ribosomal RNA in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Abstract

Post-transcriptional processing of precursor-ribosomal RNA comprises a complex pathway of endonucleolytic cleavages, exonucleolytic digestion and covalent modifications. The general order of the various processing steps is well conserved in eukaryotic cells, but the underlying mechanisms are largely unknown. Recent analysis of pre-rRNA processing, mainly in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, has significantly improved our understanding of this important cellular activity. Here we will review the data that have led to our current picture of yeast pre-rRNA processing.