A U5 snRNP protein, hPrp8, forms a UV-induced crosslink
with the 5′ splice site (5′SS) RNA within splicing
complex B assembled in trans- as well as in cis-splicing
reactions. Both yeast and human Prp8 interact with the
5′SS, branch site, polypyrimidine tract, and 3′SS
during splicing. To begin to define functional domains
in Prp8 we have mapped the site of the 5′SS crosslink
within the hPrp8 protein. Immunoprecipitation analysis
limited the site of crosslink to the C-terminal 50–60-kDa
segment of hPrp8. In addition, size comparison of the crosslink-containing
peptides generated with different proteolytic reagents
with the pattern of fragments predicted from the hPrp8
sequence allowed for mapping of the crosslink to a stretch
of five amino acids in the C-terminal portion of hPrp8
(positions 1894–1898). The site of the 5′SS:hPrp8
crosslink falls within a segment spanning the previously
defined polypyrimidine tract recognition domain in yPrp8,
suggesting that an overlapping region of Prp8 may be involved
both in the 5′SS and polypyrimidine tract recognition
events. In the context of other known interactions of Prp8,
these results suggest that this protein may participate
in formation of the catalytic center of the spliceosome.