Major pathway of rRNA processing in the nucleolus and cytosol

In humans, a 47S precursor rRNA (pre-rRNA) is transcribed by RNA polymerase I from rRNA-encoding genes (rDNA) at the boundary of the fibrillar center and the dense fibrillar components of the nucleolus. The 47S precursor is processed over the course of about 5-8 minutes by endoribonucleases and exoribonucleases to yield the 28S rRNA and 5.8S rRNA of the 60S subunit and the 18S rRNA of the 40S subunit (reviewed in Mullineus and Lafontaine 2012, Henras et al. 2015). As the pre-rRNA is being transcribed, a large protein complex, the small subunit (SSU) processome, assembles in the region of the 18S rRNA sequence, forming terminal knobs on the pre-rRNA (reviewed in Phipps et al. 2011, inferred from yeast in Dragon et al. 2002). The SSU processome contains both ribosomal proteins of the small subunit and processing factors which process the pre-rRNA and modify nucleotides. Through addition of subunits the SSU processome appears to be converted into the larger 90S pre-ribosome (inferred from yeast in Grandi et al. 2002). An analogous large subunit processome (LSU) assembles in the region of the 28S rRNA, however the LSU is less well characterized (inferred from yeast in McCann et al. 2015).

Summary from Reactome (R-HSA-6791226), read 2026-09-23.