Quinodoz, M., Rodenburg, K., Cvackova, Z. et al. (185 more authors) (2026) De novo and inherited dominant variants in U4 and U6 snRNA genes cause retinitis pigmentosa. Nature Genetics, 58. pp. 169-179. ISSN: 1061-4036
Abstract
Small nuclear RNAs (snRNAs) combine with specific proteins to generate small nuclear ribonucleoproteins (snRNPs), the building blocks of the spliceosome. U4 snRNA forms a duplex with U6 and, together with U5, contributes to the tri-snRNP spliceosomal complex. Variants in RNU4-2, which encodes U4, have recently been implicated in neurodevelopmental disorders. Here we show that heterozygous inherited and de novo variants in RNU4-2 and in four RNU6 paralogs (RNU6-1, RNU6-2, RNU6-8 and RNU6-9), which encode U6, recur in individuals with nonsyndromic retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a genetic disorder causing progressive blindness. These variants cluster within the three-way junction of the U4/U6 duplex, a site that interacts with tri-snRNP splicing factors also known to cause RP (PRPF3, PRPF8, PRPF31), and seem to affect snRNP biogenesis. Based on our cohort, deleterious variants in RNU4-2 and RNU6 paralogs may explain up to ~1.4% of otherwise undiagnosed RP cases. This study highlights the contribution of noncoding RNA genes to Mendelian disease and reveals pleiotropy in RNU4-2, where distinct variants underlie neurodevelopmental disorder and retinal degeneration.
Metadata
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Authors/Creators: |
|
| Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © The Author(s) 2026. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0). |
| Dates: |
|
| Institution: | The University of Leeds |
| Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Medicine and Health (Leeds) > School of Medicine (Leeds) |
| Date Deposited: | 17 Mar 2026 09:29 |
| Last Modified: | 17 Mar 2026 09:29 |
| Status: | Published |
| Publisher: | Nature Research |
| Identification Number: | 10.1038/s41588-025-02451-4 |
| Related URLs: | |
| Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:238863 |
Download
Filename: s41588-025-02451-4.pdf
Licence: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0

CORE (COnnecting REpositories)
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)