InterPro domain: IPR039979

The splicing factor Prp18 is required for the second step of pre-mRNA splicing. PRP18 appears to be primarily associated with the U5 snRNP.

The structure of a large fragment of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Prp18 is known [ 1 ]. This fragment is fully active in yeast splicing in vitro and includes the sequences of Prp18 that have been evolutionarily conserved. The core structure consists of five alpha-helices that adopt a novel fold. The most highly conserved region of Prp18, a nearly invariant stretch of 19 aa, forms part of a loop between two alpha-helices and may interact with the U5 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particles [ 2 ].

1. Crystal structure of the functional domain of the splicing factor Prp18. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 97, 3022-7