Uridine-rich small nuclear ribonucleoproteins (U snRNPs) are components of the splicing machinery that removes introns from precursor mRNA. Like other splicing factors, U snRNPs are diffusely distributed throughout the nucleus and, in addition, are concentrated in distinct nuclear substructures referred to as speckles. We have examined the intranuclear distribution and mobility of the splicing factor U1 snRNP on a single-molecule level. Isolated U1 snRNPs were fluorescently labeled and incubated with digitoninpermeabilized 3T3 cells in the presence of Xenopus egg extract. By confocal microscopy, U1 snRNPs were found to be imported into nuclei, yielding a speckled intranuclear distribution. Employing a laser video-microscope optimized for high sensitivity and high speed, single U1 snRNPs were visualized and tracked at a spatial precision of 35 nm and a time resolution of 30 ms. The singleparticle data revealed that U1 snRNPs occurred in small clusters that colocalized with speckles. In the clusters, U1 snRNPs resided for a mean decay time of 84 ms before leaving the optical slice in the direction of the optical axis, which corresponded to a mean effective diffusion coefficient of 1 m 2 ͞s. An analysis of the trajectories of single U1 snRNPs revealed that at least three kinetic classes of low, medium, and high mobility were present. Moreover, the mean square displacements of these fractions were virtually independent of time, suggesting arrays of binding sites. The results substantiate the view that nuclear speckles are not rigid structures but highly dynamic domains characterized by a rapid turnover of U1 snRNPs and other splicing factors.T he splicing of precursor mRNA in the nucleus is catalyzed by supramolecular assemblies designated as spliceosomes, which comprise more than 70 different proteins and five uridinerich small nuclear RNAs (snRNA; ref. 1). Most of these proteins and the snRNAs are organized in the Uridine-rich small nuclear ribonucleoproteins (U snRNPs), which are classified as U1, U2, U5, and U4͞U6, according to the snRNAs they contain. The snRNAs U1, U2, U4, and U5 are synthesized in the nucleus with a 5Ј-terminal monomethyl-guanosine (m 7 G)-cap structure, transiently exported into the cytoplasm, where a common set of seven core proteins (Sm proteins) bind to the snRNAs Sm site and form a ribonucleoprotein complex called ''Sm core'' (2). Stable association of all Sm proteins is necessary for hypermethylation of the m 7 G cap to the 2,2,7-trimethyl-guanosine (m 3 G)-cap structure (3, 4). Also, several proteins associate specifically with the individual U snRNPs; in the case of U1, those proteins are 70K, U1-A, and U1-C (5). After cap modification and 3Јend processing of the snRNAs (6), the mature snRNP particles are reimported into the nucleus by import receptors. The nuclear localization signal of U1 snRNPs is complex, with the m 3 G-cap structure representing one important signaling component (7,8). A second component is located at the Sm core but has not been defined precisely yet (9). Recent...