An unusual 5' splice sequence is efficiently utilized in vivo

Abstract

The minor adult chicken α-globin gene (α(d)) has an intron splicing sequence at the 5' end of the second intron that begins with the dinucleotide G-C rather than the usual G-T. To understand what role this splice sequence plays in the processing and maturation of nuclear RNA to cytoplasmic RNA, we have analyzed the intron processing of the α(d)-globin transcript in both heterologous (monkey) and homologous (chicken) cells using simian virus 40 and retriovirus vectors, respectively. In both cell types, both introns of the α(D)-globin gene are efficiently and precisely removed.