Ser/Arg (SR)-rich proteins are important splicing factors in both general and alternative splicing. By binding to specific sequences on pre-mRNA and interacting with other splicing factors via their RS domain they mediate different intraspliceosomal contacts, thereby helping in splice site selection and spliceosome assembly. While characterizing new members of this protein family in Arabidopsis, we have identified two proteins, termed CypRS64 and CypRS92, consisting of an N-terminal peptidyl-prolyl cis/trans isomerase domain and a C-terminal domain with many SR/SP dipeptides. Cyclophilins possess a peptidyl-prolyl cis/trans isomerase activity and are implicated in protein folding, assembly, and transport. CypRS64 interacts in vivo and in vitro with a subset of Arabidopsis SR proteins, including SRp30 and SRp34/SR1, two homologs of mammalian SF2/ASF, known to be important for 5 splice site recognition. In addition, both cyclophilins interact with U1-70K and U11-35K, which in turn are binding partners of SRp34/ SR1. CypRS64 is a nucleoplasmic protein, but in most cells expressing CypRS64-GFP fusion it was also found in one to six round nuclear bodies. However, co-expression of CypRS64 with its binding partners resulted in re-localization of CypRS64 from the nuclear bodies to nuclear speckles, indicating functional interactions. These findings together with the observation that binding of SRp34/SR1 to CypRS64 is phosphorylationdependent indicate an involvement of CypRS64 in nuclear pre-mRNA splicing, possibly by regulating phosphorylation/dephosphorylation of SR proteins and other spliceosomal components. Alternatively, binding of CypRS64 to proteins important for 5 splice site recognition suggests its involvement in the dynamics of spliceosome assembly.Most plant and metazoan genes are interrupted by introns, which have to be removed from pre-mRNAs in the splicing process. Pre-mRNA splicing takes place in the spliceosome, a large ribonucleoprotein that assembles anew on each intron from five small nuclear ribonucleoprotein (snRNP) 1 particles and numerous additional proteins. Fully assembled, catalytically active spliceosome contains at least 200 different proteins, making the spliceosome the most complex cellular machine characterized so far (1, 2). Spliceosome assembly is a highly ordered and dynamic process involving many structural rearrangements. The snRNPs, with assistance of the non-snRNP proteins, assemble onto the pre-mRNA intron in a coordinated manner. In the early spliceosomal complex U1 and U2 snRNPs are required for the initial definition of 5Ј and 3Ј splice sites, respectively. A mature spliceosome is formed by the U4/U6.U5 tri-snRNP, which finally leads to the displacement of U1 and U4 snRNPs (reviewed in Refs. 3-5). During this process several snRNA-snRNA and snRNA-mRNA interactions are disrupted, and others are formed. Proteins that are involved in these RNA rearrangements have been characterized and are known as RNA helicases (reviewed in Refs. 6 and 7).One important family of splicing factors c...