EXPRESSION OF DENDRITIC BC200 RNA, COMPONENT OF A 11.4S RIBONUCLEOPROTEIN PARTICLE, IS CONSERVED IN HUMANS AND SIMIANS

Primate BC200 RNA, a brain-specific small cytoplasmic RNA, is one of t he few known cell type specific non-messenger RNAs. It originated from a monomeric Alu short interspersed repetitive element (SINE) in prima tes. In situ hybridization using rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta) brain sections reveals a similar cellular and sub-cellular distribution as i n human brain. In addition to confirming its dendritic location, the d istribution in an old world monkey indicates a discrete regional and s ubcellular location of BC200 RNA. We also report that BC200 RNA exists as a ribonucleoprotein (RNP) particle in vivo. In sucrose gradients, the BC200 particle has a sedimentation constant of about 11.4 S, signi ficantly more than the corresponding 200 nucleotide long naked RNA (si milar to 7.6 S). (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.