Small Cajal body-specific RNA 15 (SCARNA15)

Small Cajal body-specific RNA 15 (SCARNA15), also known as ACA45, is a small nucleolar RNA localized in Cajal bodies, a subnuclear organelle. SCARNA15 belongs to the H/ACA box class of scaRNAs and primarily guides the pseudouridylation (isomerisation of uridine to pseudouridine) of specific uridine residues in spliceosomal small nuclear RNAs, especially U2 snRNA (notably at position U39)[3][2]. Through directing this RNA modification, SCARNA15 fine-tunes alternative splicing of transcripts involved in chromatin regulation and transcription, impacting the function of key tumor suppressors such as p53 and ATRX[1][2][5]. Loss of SCARNA15 disrupts redox homeostasis, increases sensitivity to oxidative stress, and impairs cancer cell survival and motility, indicating its importance in maintaining stress adaptation and contributing to cancer-associated splicing programs[1][2][5]. SCARNA15 is not a protein, receptor, enzyme, or typical therapeutic target, but rather a regulatory noncoding RNA implicated in post-transcriptional gene regulation and splicing fidelity in both normal and malignant contexts[1][2][3][5].

Other names

ACA45ACA45 scaRNA