Base‐specific ribonucleases potentially involved in heterogeneous nuclear RNA processing and poly(A) metabolism

Abstract Polyadenylation and splicing of heterogeneous nuclear RNA, two crucial steps in mRNA processing, are apparently enzymically mediated processes. This contribution summarizes the properties and the presumed functions of the known poly(A) catabolic enzymes (endoribonuclease IV and V, 2′,3′-exoribonuclease) as well as those of the pyrimidine-specific endoribonucleases associated with snRNP—hnRNP complexes (endoribonuclease VII, acidic p I 4.1 endoribonuclease and poly(U)-specific U1 snRNP-nuclease).