Virtually all genes in higher organisms are interrupted by regions of noncoding DNA called introns. These introns must be removed from messenger RNA precursors to allow proper gene expression. The process of pre-mRNA splicing is responsible for accurately identifying introns and catalyzing their excision. A fundamental challenge in modern molecular biology is to understand how the splicing apparatus specifically recognizes and removes introns. Because the splicing machinery is highly conserved throughout evolution, my laboratory approaches this question using the genetic and biochemical tools available uniquely in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
