Vault RNA (vtRNA) is a shorter, noncoding RNA sequence found in vault complexes in the cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells. The function of vtRNA is still not known, nor is the function of the complex, but because they are found in various unusual states of cells, there has been increased research recently. Four different vtRNA sequences have been identified in the human genome: vtRNA1-1, vtRNA1-2, vtRNA1-3 and vtRNA2-1. The last one is also the one found at different locus of chromosome number five than the other three. In addition to these four RNA molecules, there are also two pseudogenes in the human genome: vtRNA2-2 and vtRNA3-1. These two are located on different chromosomes than the other four vtRNAs. We performed a phylogenetic analysis of vtRNAs in vertebrates. We found that the development of different types of vtRNAs is consistent with the general taxonomic evolution, but at the same time there are some divergences. For some divergences we were able to explain them with a detailed review of sequence alignments, while for others the reason for their placement in the phylogenetic tree was different point mutations. In the laboratory part, we made vectors with different types of vtRNAs that can be expressed in mammalian cells. In this way, we enable further research on their interaction partners and cellular location.
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