title: Role and convergent evolution of competing RNA secondary structures in mutually exclusive splicing.
abstract: Exon or cassette duplication is an important means of expanding protein and functional diversity through mutually exclusive splicing. However, the mechanistic basis of this process in non-arthropod species remains poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that MRP1 genes underwent tandem exon duplication in Nematoda, Platyhelminthes, Annelida, Mollusca, Arthropoda, Echinodermata, and early-diverging Chordata but not in late-diverging vertebrates. Interestingly, these events were of independent origin in different phyla, suggesting convergent evolution of alternative splicing. Furthermore, we showed that multiple sets of clade-conserved RNA pairings evolved to guide species-specific mutually exclusive splicing in Arthropoda. Importantly, we also identified a similar structural code in MRP exon clusters of the annelid, Capitella teleta, and chordate, Branchiostoma belcheri, suggesting an evolutionarily conserved competing pairing-guided mechanism in bilaterians. Taken together, these data reveal the molecular determinants and RNA pairing-guided evolution of species-specific mutually exclusive splicing spanning more than 600 million years of bilaterian evolution. These findings have a significant impact on our understanding of the evolution of and mechanism underpinning isoform diversity and complex gene structure.
authors.affiliation: a Institute of Biochemistry, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University , Hangzhou , Zhejiang , P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yue
authors.affiliation: a Institute of Biochemistry, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University , Hangzhou , Zhejiang , P.R. China.
authors.forename: Shouqing
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.affiliation: a Institute of Biochemistry, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University , Hangzhou , Zhejiang , P.R. China.|b Institute of Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University , Hangzhou , Zhejiang , P.R. China.
authors.forename: Xiu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: a Institute of Biochemistry, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University , Hangzhou , Zhejiang , P.R. China.
authors.forename: Leilei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhan
authors.affiliation: a Institute of Biochemistry, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University , Hangzhou , Zhejiang , P.R. China.
authors.forename: Guozheng
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.affiliation: a Institute of Biochemistry, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University , Hangzhou , Zhejiang , P.R. China.
authors.forename: Guoli
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: a Institute of Biochemistry, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University , Hangzhou , Zhejiang , P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: a Institute of Biochemistry, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University , Hangzhou , Zhejiang , P.R. China.
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: a Institute of Biochemistry, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University , Hangzhou , Zhejiang , P.R. China.
authors.forename: Weiling
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.affiliation: a Institute of Biochemistry, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University , Hangzhou , Zhejiang , P.R. China.
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: a Institute of Biochemistry, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University , Hangzhou , Zhejiang , P.R. China.
authors.forename: Baoping
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: a Institute of Biochemistry, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University , Hangzhou , Zhejiang , P.R. China.
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: a Institute of Biochemistry, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University , Hangzhou , Zhejiang , P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: a Institute of Biochemistry, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University , Hangzhou , Zhejiang , P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yongfeng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D058674:Chromosome Duplication; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005091:Exons; D006801:Humans; D007448:Invertebrates / Q000235:genetics; D027425:ATP-Binding Cassette, Sub-Family C Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D010802:Phylogeny; D012326:RNA Splicing; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000737:chemistry*; D014714:Vertebrates / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D027425:ATP-Binding Cassette, Sub-Family C Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C421109:multidrug resistance-associated protein 1
keywords: Competing RNA secondary structures; MRP1; Mutually exclusive splicing; convergent evolution