RNA POLYMERASE II PEPTIDES AND METHODS OF USE RNA POLYMERASE II PEPTIDES AND METHODS OF USE

摘要

A macromolecular delivery method that utilizes a series of peptides derived from the COOH terminal domain (CTD) of the largest subunit of RNA polymerase II and includes heptapeptide units similar or identical to the following cnsensus sequence: Tyrosine--Serine--Proline--Threonine--Serine--Proline--Serine (YSPTSPS)x. When expressed in vivo, the CTD peptides are phosphorylated and they accumulate in discrete compartments within the nucleus. The CTD peptides concentrate indicator molecules in discrete subnuclear compartments where pre-mRNA molecules are synthesized and spliced. The length and composition of the CTD peptides can be manipulated to obtain different intranuclear partitioning properties. The CTD peptides are functional in the nuclei of S. cerevisiae, S. pombe, nematodes, insects, plants, and all vertebrates. Since the CTD peptides accumulate precisely in discrete sites inhabited by RNA polymerase II and the spliceosomes, they should be useful in genetic therapy technologies.