title: Emerging functions of alternative splicing coupled with nonsense-mediated decay.
abstract: Higher eukaryotes rely on AS (alternative splicing) of pre-mRNAs (mRNA precursors) to generate more than one protein product from a single gene and to regulate mRNA stability and translational activity. An important example of the latter function involves an interplay between AS and NMD (nonsense-mediated decay), a cytoplasmic quality control mechanism eliminating mRNAs containing PTCs (premature translation termination codons). Although originally identified as an error surveillance process, AS-NMD additionally provides an efficient strategy for deterministic regulation of gene expression outputs. In this review, we discuss recently published examples of AS-NMD and delineate functional contexts where recurrent use of this mechanism orchestrates expression of important genes.
authors.affiliation: *School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
authors.forename: Fursham M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Hamid
authors.forename: Eugene V
authors.initials: EV
authors.lastname: Makeyev
mesh_terms: D017398:Alternative Splicing / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D059365:Nonsense Mediated mRNA Decay / Q000235:genetics; D012322:RNA Precursors / Q000235:genetics*; D020871:RNA Stability / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D012322:RNA Precursors