K C et al.,  Evidence of RNA polymerase III recruitment and transcription at protein-coding gene promoters

Molecular Cell 2024

Birds can be highly selective during perching behavior, taking several factors like branch structure and stability, environment, and social patterns into account. In this issue of Molecular Cell, K C et al. present evidence of RNA polymerase III activity at protein-coding genes. Here, a blue bird (RNA polymerase III) unexpectedly perches on a branch conventionally selected by yellow birds (protein-coding genes; RNA polymerase II), a reciprocal pattern to previous observations of yellow birds at blue bird branches (small noncoding RNA genes, such as tRNAs).

Zhou et al.,  Cancer associated snaR-A noncoding RNA interacts with core splicing machinery and disrupts processing of mRNA subpopulations

Nature Communications 2025

Zhou et al. demonstrate that the cancer-associated noncoding RNA snaR-A directly engages the mRNA splicing machinery, including the U2 snRNP component SF3B2, localizes near nuclear speckles, and disrupts efficient splicing of select mRNA subpopulations. Elevated snaR-A levels increase intron retention, whereas its depletion improves splicing of transcripts characterized by U2 residency and speckle proximity, leading to changes in protein abundance and cell proliferation. These findings establish snaR-A as a molecular antagonist of splicing and a non-mutational driver of transcriptome dysregulation. The Warhol-inspired repetition of nuclei on the cover reflects how a single, uniform RNA species can yield diverse regulatory outcomes, emphasizing the context-dependent complexity of snaR-mediated splicing perturbation.