Structural basis of the regulation by CDK11 kinase of early spliceosome activation and evidence for its proofreading by DHX15 helicase
- Zhenwei Zhang
- Vinay Kumar
- Sumeru Panta
- Jiayun Zhong
- Olexandr Dybkov
- Haohao Dong
- Berthold Kastner
- Henning Urlaub
- Holger Stark
- Reinhard Lührmann
2026-07-03
Formation of the activated human spliceosome (B act ) involves major structural rearrangements, leading to the catalytically active U2/U6 RNA core. This process involves at least two intermediates, pre-B act-1 and pre-B act-2 , and is regulated by CDK11-mediated phosphorylation of the U2 snRNP protein SF3B1. However, the mechanisms of this essential step are poorly understood. Here we present the cryo-EM structure of a spliceosome stalled – by the CDK11 inhibitor OTS964 – in a previously undescribed early-activated state, termed pre-B act-OTS , shortly after dissociation of U4 snRNP. In pre-B act-OTS , the U2-SF3B6 protein is retained in a C-terminal region of the super-helical U2-SF3B1 HEAT domain (SF3B1 HEAT ) that clamps the U2/branch-site helix. In contrast, in pre-B act-1 , SF3B6 is repositioned to SF3B1’s N-terminal HEAT repeats, thereby preventing a steric clash of SF3B6 with PRP8 during the pre-B act-OTS -to-pre-B act-1 transition. We infer that the CDK11-mediated phosphorylation of SF3B1 drives the relocation of SF3B6, gating progression to B act formation. In pre-B act-OTS , we also located the RNA helicase DHX15 at the N-terminal region of SF3B1 HEAT , assisted by the SR140/SPF45/CHERP/SUGP1 protein complex. These results suggest the involvement of DHX15 in kinase-mediated proofreading of the early-activated spliceosome, by competing with CDK11’s phosphorylation of SF3B1, and thus with relocation of SF3B6 at SF3B1 HEAT .