U16 belongs to the family of box C/D small nucleolar
RNAs (snoRNAs) whose members participate in ribosome biogenesis,
mainly acting as guides for site-specific methylation of
the pre-rRNA. Like all the other members of the family,
U16 is associated with a set of protein factors forming
a ribonucleoprotein particle, localized in the nucleolus.
So far, only a few box C/D-specific proteins are known:
in Xenopus laevis, fibrillarin and p68 have been
identified by UV crosslinking and shown to require the
conserved boxes C and D for snoRNA interaction. In this
study, we have identified an additional protein factor
(p62), common to box C/D snoRNPs, that crosslinks to the
internal stem region, distinct from the conserved box C/D
“core motif,” of U16 snoRNA. We show here that,
although the absence of the core motif and, as a consequence,
of fibrillarin and p68 binding prevents processing and
accumulation of the snoRNA, the lack of the internal stem
does not interfere with the efficient release of U16 from
its host intron and only slightly affects snoRNA stability.
Because this region is likely to be the binding site for
p62, we propose that this protein plays an accessory role
in the formation of a mature and stable U16 snoRNP particle.