SRm300 Background Information The SRm160/300 splicing coactivator, which consists of the serine/arginine (SR)-related nuclear matrix protein and a nuclear matrix antigen, functions in splicing by promoting critical interactions between splicing factors bound to pre-mRNA. This splicing pathway involves five core small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particles (snRNPs) and the SR family proteins, which coordinately bind to pre-mRNA slicing enhancer elements, are required for accurate splice site recognition, and regulate alterative splicing patterns. The recognized splicing enhancer elements, known also as exonic enhancer splicing sequences, are short RNA sequences that are capable of activating weak splice sites in adjacent introns and contain specific binding sites for the serine/arginine (SR)-rich splicing factors. SRm160 and 300 antigens contain domains rich in SR motifs, but are distinctly different from the SR factors as they lack an RNA recognition motif and cannot directly induce RNA splicing. These proteins rather function as coactivators that stabilize the splicing complex and mediate the U1 snRNP-splicing pathway.
