RNA editing: getting U into RNA

Abstract

RNA editing in kinetoplastid protozoa remodels the sequences of mitochondrial pre-mRNAs by the precise insertion and deletion of uridylate residues. These sequence changes are directed by small trans-acting RNAs, termed guide RNAs. The basic mechanistic pathway by which edited RNA is generated has recently been elucidated using in vitro systems capable of a full round of guide-RNA-directed editing.