The complexity of antisense transcription revealed by the study of developing male germ cells.
Computational analyses have identified the widespread occurrence of antisense transcripts in the human and the mouse genome. However, the structure and the origin of the majority of the antisense transcripts are unknown. The presence of antisense transcripts for 19 of 64 differentially expressed genes during mouse spermatogenesis was demonstrated with orientation-specific RT-PCR. These antisense transcripts were derived from a wide variety of origins, including processed sense transcripts, intronic and exonic sequences of a single gene or multiple genes, intergenic sequences, and pseudogenes. They underwent normal and alternative splicing, 5' capping, and 3' polyadenylation, similar to the sense transcripts. There were also antisense transcripts that were not capped and/or polyadenylated. The testicular levels of the sense transcripts were higher than those of the antisense transcripts in all cases, while the relative expression in nontesticular tissues was variable. Thus antisense transcripts have complex origins and structures and the sense and antisense transcripts can be regulated independently.
Chan
Wai-Yee
WY
Laboratory of Clinical Genomics, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Building 49, Room 2A08, 49 Convent Drive, MSC 4429, Bethesda, MD 20892-4429, USA. chanwy@mail.nih.gov
Wu
Shao-Ming
SM
Ruszczyk
Lisa
L
Law
Evelyn
E
Lee
Tin-Lap
TL
Baxendale
Vanessa
V
Lap-Yin Pang
Alan
A
Rennert
Owen M
OM
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D005260:Female; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D011479:Protamines / Q000235:genetics; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000235:genetics; D016372:RNA, Antisense / Q000235:genetics*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013091:Spermatogenesis / Q000235:genetics*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D014452:Ubiquitins / Q000235:genetics; D056427:t-Complex Genome Region
D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; C082073:PRM1 protein, human; C513176:Prm1 protein, mouse; D011479:Protamines; D011498:Protein Precursors; D016372:RNA, Antisense; D014452:Ubiquitins; C068621:protamine 2; C045677:ubiquitin precursor