RNA-protein interactions that regulate pre-mRNA splicing.
Splicing of nuclear precursor messenger RNAs is an important and ubiquitous type of gene regulation in metazoans. Splicing joins the coding sequences called exons by removing the intervening noncoding sequences, introns, from primary transcripts. Alternative splicing generates an enormous repertoire of functional diversity by producing multiple RNAs and proteins from a single gene. In fact, recent genome sequences from several organisms suggest that splicing regulation is likely to provide an important source of functional diversity in more complex organisms. Because splice sites are short sequences at the ends of introns, the functional splice sites have to be distinguished from an excessively large number of sequences in the primary transcripts that resemble a splice site. Furthermore, alternative splice sites have to be correctly chosen at appropriate times. Thus, selection of proper splice sites remains a daunting biological problem. This review focuses on a few examples in which the molecular and biochemical basis for splice site selection is better understood.
Singh
Ravinder
R
Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado at Boulder, 80309, USA. rsingh@colorado.edu
D017398:Alternative Splicing / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D005091:Exons / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D026721:RNA 3' End Processing; D012322:RNA Precursors / Q000378:metabolism*; D012323:RNA Processing, Post-Transcriptional; D022821:RNA Splice Sites; D012326:RNA Splicing / Q000502:physiology*; D012342:RNA, Small Nuclear / Q000502:physiology; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D019849:Sex Determination Processes; D017381:Spliceosomes / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000502:physiology
D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D012322:RNA Precursors; D022821:RNA Splice Sites; D012342:RNA, Small Nuclear; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors