Background of the antigen
The formation of the spliceosome includes the assembly of Sm proteins in an ordered manner onto snRNAs. This process is mediated by the survival of motor neuron (SMN) protein, and is enhanced by modification of specific arginine residues in the Sm proteins to symmetrical dimethylarginines (sDMAs). sDMA modification of Sm proteins is catalyzed by the methylosome, a complex comprised of the type II methyltransferase PRMT5 (also designated Jak-binding protein 1, JBP1), pICln, and two novel factors. PRMT5 binds the Sm proteins via their arginine- and glycine-rich (RG) domains, while pICln binds the Sm domains. pICln also acts as an inhibitor of SnRNP assembly by preventing specific interactions between Sm proteins required for the formation of the Sm core. pICln is a highly conserved, ubiquitously expressed protein that localizes primarily to the cytoplasm, and may play a role as a swelling-activated anion channel or a channel regulator in addition to its function in the methylosome. The gene encoding human pICln maps to chromosome 11q14.1.
