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NCAM-180, the large isoform of the neural cell adhesion molecule of the mouse, is encoded by an alternatively spliced transcript.

The three different isoforms (NCAM-180, -140 and -120) of the murine neural cell adhesion molecule are encoded by a single gene. The two smaller isoforms, NCAM-120 and -140 are generated by alternative RNA splicing of the primary transcript. We here report sequence data of a mouse cDNA clone reverse transcribed from NCAM mRNA containing an extra fragment of 801 nt. This cytoplasmic domain of NCAM-140 and codes for additional 267 amino acids. We conclude that the sequence presented represents the 3' portion of the 7.4 kb NCAM transcript, which is also generated by alternative splicing. Thus, this sequence probably encodes NCAM-180, a polypeptide with a Mr of 117,181.

Aging↗

Possible evolution of splice-junction signals in eukaryotic genes from stop codons.

Splice-junction sequence signals are strongly conserved structural components of eukaryotic genes. These sequences border exon/intron junctions and aid in the process of removing introns by the RNA splicing machinery. Although substantial research has been undertaken to understand the mechanism of splicing, little is known about the origin and evolution of these splice signal sequences. Based on the previously published theory that the primitive genes evolved in pieces from primordial genetic sequences to avoid the interfering stop codons, a "stop-codon walk" mechanism is proposed in this paper to have assisted in the evolution of coding genes. This mechanism predicts the presence of stop codons in splice-junction signals inside the introns. Evidence of the consistent presence of stop codons in the splice-junction signals, in a position where they are expected, is shown by the analysis of codon statistics in these signal sequences in the GenBank databank. The results suggest that the splice-junction signals may have evolved from stop codons as a consequence of a selective pressure to avoid stop codons during the original evolution of coding genes. They also suggest that other splice signals within the introns, such as the branch-point sequence, may have evolved from stop codons for similar reasons.

Biological Evolution↗

Interaction between the negative regulator of splicing element and a 3' splice site: requirement for U1 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein and the 3' splice site branch point/pyrimidine tract.

The negative regulator of splicing (NRS) from Rous sarcoma virus suppresses viral RNA splicing and is one of several cis elements that account for the accumulation of large amounts of unspliced RNA for use as gag-pol mRNA and progeny virion genomic RNA. The NRS can also inhibit splicing of heterologous introns in vivo and in vitro. Previous data showed that the splicing factors SF2/ASF and U1, U2, and U11 small nuclear ribonucleoproteins (snRNPs) bind the NRS, and a correlation was established between SF2/ASF and U11 binding and activity, suggesting that these factors are important for function. These observations, and the finding that a large spliceosome-like complex (NRS-C) assembles on NRS RNA in nuclear extract, led to the proposal that the NRS is recognized as a minor-class 5' splice site. One model to explain NRS splicing inhibition holds that the NRS interacts nonproductively with and sequesters U2-dependent 3' splice sites. In this study, we provide evidence that the NRS interacts with an adenovirus 3' splice site. The interaction was dependent on the integrity of the branch point and pyrimidine tract of the 3' splice site, and it was sensitive to a mutation that was previously shown to abolish U11 snRNP binding and NRS function. However, further mutational analyses of NRS sequences have identified a U1 binding site that overlaps the U11 site, and the interaction with the 3' splice site correlated with U1, not U11, binding. These results show that the NRS can interact with a 3' splice site and suggest that U1 is of primary importance for NRS splicing inhibition.

Adenoviridae↗

BRCA1 IVS16+6T-->C is a deleterious mutation that creates an aberrant transcript by activating a cryptic splice donor site.

Results and conclusions are presented that characterize BRCA1 IVS16+6T-->C as a deleterious mutation. BRCA1 transcripts from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of a breast cancer patient with the transition IVS16+6T-->C show the loss of a heterozygous base within codon 871. Additionally, an aberrant RNA splicing product which incorporates 69 bases of the 5' end of intron 16 at the junction of exons 16 and 17 is produced solely from the allele with IVS16+6T-->C. This insertion contains two in-frame stop codons and encodes a protein truncated at residue 1662 (plus 13 residues encoded by the intron). The aberrant transcript is specifically associated with the intronic variant since it was contained within the insertion. Furthermore, sequence analysis of the heterozygous base within codon 871 demonstrates that the two RNA products, productive mRNA and aberrantly spliced RNA, are contributed to exclusively by separate alleles. Finally, the aberrant transcript is produced by the activation of a cryptic splice site which has greater homology with the primate consensus splice sequence than the mutated exon 16 donor site.

Adult↗

Myotonic dystrophy: the role of the CUG triplet repeats in splicing of a novel DMPK exon and altered cytoplasmic DMPK mRNA isoform ratios.

The mechanism by which (CTG)n expansion in the 3' UTR of the DMPK gene causes myotonic dystrophy (DM) is unknown. We identified four RNA splicing factors--hnRNP C, U2AF (U2 auxiliary factor), PTB (polypyrimidine tract binding protein), and PSF (PTB associated splicing factor)--that bind to two short regions 3' of the (CUG)n, and found a novel 3' DMPK exon resulting in an mRNA lacking the repeats. We propose that the (CUG)n is an essential cis acting element for this splicing event. In contrast to (CUG)n containing mRNAs, the novel isoform is not retained in the nucleus in DM cells, resulting in imbalances in relative levels of cytoplasmic DMPK mRNA isoforms and a new dominant effect of the mutation on DMPK.

3' Untranslated Regions↗

The yeast mitochondrial leucyl-tRNA synthetase is a splicing factor for the excision of several group I introns.

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae nuclear gene NAM2 codes for mitochondrial leucyl-tRNA synthetase (mLRS). Herbert et al. (1988, EMBO J 7:473-483) proposed that this protein is involved in mitochondrial RNA splicing. Here we present the construction and analyses of nine mutations obtained by creating two-codon insertions within the NAM2 gene. Three of these prevent respiration while maintaining the mitochondrial genome. These three mutants: (1) display in vitro a mLRS activity ranging from 0%-50% that of the wild type: (2) allow in vivo the synthesis of several mitochondrially encoded proteins; (3) prevent the synthesis of the COXII protein but not of its mRNA; (4) abolish the splicing of the group I introns bI4 and aI4; and (5) affect significantly the excision of the group I introns bI2, bI3 and aI3. Importation of the bI4 maturase from the cytoplasm into mitochondria in a nam2- mutant strain does not restore the excision of the introns bI4 and aI4 implying that the splicing deficiency does not result from the absence of the bI4 maturase. We conclude that the mLRS is a splicing factor essential for the excision of the group I introns bI4 and aI4 and probably important for the excision of other group I introns.

Cell Nucleus↗

Splicing of the adenovirus-2 E1A 13S mRNA requires a minimal intron length and specific intron signals.

The adenovirus E1A region encodes three overlapping mRNAs, designated 9S, 12S and 13S. They differ from each other with regard to the length of the intron which is removed by RNA splicing. We have constructed E1A genes with deletions and insertions in the intervening sequence that is common to all three E1A mRNAs, in a search for signals which influence splicing of the 13S mRNA. Mutant plasmids were transfected into HeLa cells and the transiently expressed E1A mRNAs characterized by the S1 protection assay. The results show that five upstream and 20 downstream nucleotides are sufficient to allow for a correct utilization of the 5'-splice junction for the E1A 13S mRNA. Moreover, we show that a minimal intron length of 78 nucleotides is required for efficient 13S mRNA splicing. The ability of mutants with large intron deletions to maturate a 13S mRNA could partially be restored by expanding the intron length with phage lambda sequences. However, in no case was the normal splicing efficiency obtained with these mutants. In contrast, one mutant in which sequences from the authentic 13S mRNA intron were used to expand the intron expressed almost normal levels of 13S mRNA, thus suggesting that signals which specifically promote 13S mRNA splicing exist.

Adenoviruses, Human↗

Effects of chronic alcohol consumption on the expression of different NR1 splice variants in the brain of AA and ANA lines of rats.

Following chronic alcohol treatment alterations in N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor subunit 1 and 2 (NR1 and NR2), mRNA and protein levels have been reported. The NR1 gene undergoes alternative RNA splicing, resulting in eight splice variants, which were shown to differ in their sensitivity to alcohol. Here, we studied mRNA and protein levels of NR1 splice variants in alcohol-preferring (AA) and alcohol-nonpreferring (ANA) rat lines under basal conditions (alcohol-naive), and following chronic alcohol consumption. mRNA levels of three NR1 splice variants (NR1-1, NR1-2, NR1-4), and the protein levels of NR1 (NR1-1/NR1-2), and of NR1 alternative C-terminus (NR1-3/NR1-4) were determined in the hippocampus and nucleus accumbens by competitive RT-PCR and Western blot analysis, respectively. No significant differences in NR1 mRNA, or protein levels were found in the nucleus accumbens between the two rat lines under basal conditions, or following chronic alcohol consumption. In the hippocampus of alcohol-naive rats, the NR1-4 mRNA content was significantly higher in ANA compared to AA rats, however, no significant difference could be detected at the protein level. Following chronic alcohol consumption, the protein level of the NR1 alternative C-terminus (NR1-3/NR1-4) was significantly higher in AA rats compared to the corresponding control. Taken together, these results suggest: (i) brain site-specific alterations in NMDA receptor subunit composition occur following chronic alcohol consumption. (ii) In the hippocampus, NR1 splice variant mRNA levels differ between AA and ANA rats. (iii) The mRNA levels and protein levels of NR1 splice variants are differentially affected by chronic alcohol consumption.

Alcohol Drinking↗

Splicing signals in Drosophila: intron size, information content, and consensus sequences.

A database of 209 Drosophila introns was extracted from Genbank (release number 64.0) and examined by a number of methods in order to characterize features that might serve as signals for messenger RNA splicing. A tight distribution of sizes was observed: while the smallest introns in the database are 51 nucleotides, more than half are less than 80 nucleotides in length, and most of these have lengths in the range of 59-67 nucleotides. Drosophila splice sites found in large and small introns differ in only minor ways from each other and from those found in vertebrate introns. However, larger introns have greater pyrimidine-richness in the region between 11 and 21 nucleotides upstream of 3' splice sites. The Drosophila branchpoint consensus matrix resembles C T A A T (in which branch formation occurs at the underlined A), and differs from the corresponding mammalian signal in the absence of G at the position immediately preceding the branchpoint. The distribution of occurrences of this sequence suggests a minimum distance between 5' splice sites and branchpoints of about 38 nucleotides, and a minimum distance between 3' splice sites and branchpoints of 15 nucleotides. The methods we have used detect no information in exon sequences other than in the few nucleotides immediately adjacent to the splice sites. However, Drosophila resembles many other species in that there is a discontinuity in A + T content between exons and introns, which are A + T rich.

Animals↗

Papillomavirus genome structure, expression, and post-transcriptional regulation.

Papillomaviruses are a group of small non-enveloped DNA tumor viruses whose infection usually causes benign epithelial lesions (warts). Certain types of HPVs, such as HPV-16, HPV-18, and HPV-31, have been recognized as causative agents of cervical cancer and anal cancer and their infections, which arise via sexual transmission, are associated with more than 95% of cervical cancer. Papillomaviruses infect keratinocytes in the basal layer of stratified squamous epithelia and replicate in the nucleus of infected keratinocytes in a differentiation-dependent manner. Viral gene expression in infected cells depends on cell differentiation and is tightly regulated at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. A noteworthy feature of all papillomavirus transcripts is that they are transcribed as a bicistronic or polycistronic form containing two or more ORFs and are polyadenylated at either an early or late poly(A) site. In the past ten years, remarkable progress has been made in understanding how this complex viral gene expression is regulated at the level of transcription (such as via DNA methylation) and particularly post-transcription (including RNA splicing, polyadenylation, and translation). Current knowledge of papillomavirus mRNA structure and RNA processing has provided some clues on how to control viral oncogene expression. However, we still have little knowledge about which mRNAs are used to translate each viral protein. Continuing research on post-transcriptional regulation of papillomavirus infection will remain as a future focus to provide more insights into papillomavirus-host interactions, the virus life-cycle, and viral oncogenesis.

DNA Methylation↗

Multiple 5'-splice variants of the rat glutamate transporter-1.

In most brain areas, uptake of extracellular glutamate predominantly occurs through the glutamate transporter subtype, glutamate transporter-1 (GLT-1), which is enriched in astroglia. Here, we report the identification of five splice variants of the 5'-leader sequence of rat GLT-1 which contain varying numbers of upstream open reading frames and encode putative GLT-1 proteins with two distinct N-terminal modifications. We further demonstrate that the identified rat 5'-GLT-1 splice variants are expressed in a brain region-specific manner. Our findings point to potential influences of RNA splicing on glial glutamate transport in the intact and injured rat brain.

Alternative Splicing↗

Processing of alpha-globin and ICP0 mRNA in cells infected with herpes simplex virus type 1 ICP27 mutants.

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) ICP27 is an essential and multifunctional regulator of viral gene expression that modulates RNA splicing, polyadenylation, and nuclear export. We have previously reported that ICP27 causes the cytoplasmic accumulation of unspliced alpha-globin pre-mRNA. Here we examined the effects of a series of ICP27 mutations that alter important functional regions of the protein on the processing and nuclear transport of alpha-globin and HSV ICP0 RNA. The results demonstrate that ICP27 mutants that are impaired for growth in noncomplementing cells, including mutants in the N- and C-terminal regions, are defective in the accumulation of alpha-globin pre-mRNA. Unexpectedly, several mutants that are competent to repress the expression of reporter genes in transient transfection assays failed to accumulate unspliced RNA, implying that different mechanisms are responsible for transrepression and pre-mRNA accumulation. Several mutants caused a marked increase in the length and heterogeneity of the alpha-globin mRNA poly(A) tail, suggesting that ICP27 may directly or indirectly affect the regulation of poly(A) polymerase. ICP27 was also required for the accumulation of multiple ICP0 intron-bearing transcripts, but this effect displayed a mutational sensitivity profile different from that of accumulation of unspliced alpha-globin RNA. Moreover, unlike spliced and unspliced alpha-globin RNAs, which were efficiently exported to the cytoplasm, spliced and intron-containing ICP0 transcripts were predominantly nuclear in localization, and ICP27 was not required for nuclear retention of the spliced message. We propose that these transcript- and ICP27 allele-specific differences may be explained by the presence of a strong cis-acting ICP27 response element in the alpha-globin transcript.

Globins↗

Splicing together the unfolded-protein response.

Recent work has identified a transcription factor, Hac1p, in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, as a component of a pathway that signals to the nucleus the presence of unfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum and has shown that Hac1p expression is regulated by a novel RNA splicing pathway.

Basic-Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors↗

The 5' terminus of the RNA moiety of U1 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particles is required for the splicing of messenger RNA precursors.

We have investigated the role of small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particles (snRNPs) in the in vitro splicing of messenger RNA precursors by a variety of procedures. Removal of the U-type snRNPs from the nuclear extracts of HeLa cells with protein A-Sepharose-coupled human autoimmune antibodies leads to complete loss of splicing activity. The inhibition of splicing can be prevented by saturating the coupled antibodies with purified nucleoplasmic U snRNPs prior to incubation with nuclear extract. We further demonstrate that an intact 5' terminus of U1 snRNA is required for the functioning of U1 snRNP in the splicing reaction. Antibodies directed against the trimethylated cap structure of the U snRNAs inhibit splicing. Upon removal of the first eight nucleotides of the U1 snRNA in the particles by site-directed hydrolysis with ribonuclease H in the presence of a synthetic complementary oligodeoxynucleotide splicing is completely abolished. These results are in strong support of current models suggesting that a base-pairing interaction between the 5' terminus of the U1 snRNA and the 5' splice site of a mRNA precursor is a prerequisite for proper splicing.

Antigen-Antibody Complex↗

The spliced leader gene of Angiostrongylus cantonensis.

A 5' leader sequence has been identified on mRNAs of the parasitic nematode Angiostrongylus cantonensis. A 720-bp XhoI restriction fragment containing the gene encoding the leader sequence has been cloned and sequenced. It contains a 22-nt sequence identical to that of the leader sequence of Caenorhabditis elegans, a consensus splice site and a putative Sm antigen binding site. The gene is present as a tandem repeating unit of approximately 60 copies, and unlike C. elegans it is not associated with the 5S ribosomal RNA gene. The SL-RNA is 110 nt long and the sequence and primer extension studies suggest that it is transcribed from the tandemly repeating SL gene. It is precipitable from cell-free extracts of adult nematodes by anti-Sm anti-sera, and from RNA by anti-TMG anti-sera, thus suggesting its inclusion with small nuclear ribonucleoproteins in RNA splicing.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Multiple transcripts of the CYP21 gene are generated by the mutation of the splicing donor site in intron 2 from GT to AT in 21-hydroxylase deficiency.

Maturation of primary RNA transcripts of eukaryotic genes often involves the removal of introns and joining of exons. The fidelity of RNA splicing is dependent on the identity of the nucleotide (nt) sequences at exon/intron boundaries. Most importantly, the highly conserved intronic 5'GT and 3'AG sequences are essential for correct splicing. Substitution of GT by any other nt leads to incomplete mRNA and a disruption of protein structure. We describe here the results of our transfection experiments in COS-1 cells with a CYP21 genomic construct that contained an IVS 2+1G-->A mutation. Analysis of the transcripts by RT-PCR revealed that two different transcripts were generated by this mutant genome. In all the splicing products, we found that the entire exon 2 was deleted. Surprisingly, 30% of the transcripts from this mutant CYP21 genome were accompanied by an inclusion of 3' intron 2 sequences due to the use of a different splice acceptor site. This is the first report of the molecular characterization of a splice donor site mutation in CYP21 via transcription in COS-1 cells.

Adrenal Hyperplasia, Congenital↗

Modification of MyD88 mRNA splicing and inhibition of IL-1beta signaling in cell culture and in mice with a 2'-O-methoxyethyl-modified oligonucleotide.

A number of proinflammatory cytokines, including IL-1beta, signal through the adaptor protein MyD88. This signaling leads to phosphorylation of IL-1R-associated kinase-1 (IRAK-1) and, ultimately, activation of the NF-kappaB transcription factor. A splice variant of MyD88 (MyD88(S)), which lacks the ability to couple IRAK-1 to NF-kappaB, has been described. A chemically modified antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) that alters the splicing ratio of MyD88 to MyD88(S) in both cell culture and in animals has been identified. The ASO (ISIS 337846) binds to exon II donor sites in the MyD88 pre-mRNA. By manipulating levels of MyD88 splicing, proinflammatory signaling through the IL-1R has been shown to be diminished, both in cell culture and in mouse liver. To our knowledge, this represents the first example of modulation of RNA splicing of an endogenous gene target in animals after systemic ASO dosing and suggests that this mechanism may be useful as a novel modulator of inflammatory stimuli.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗

Directing alternative splicing: cast and scenarios.

Recent progress in the study of alternative RNA splicing indicates that the interaction of RNA-binding proteins with specific target elements modulates splice site recognition and spliceosome assembly. The identity of splicing signals, the presence of modulating elements and differences in the distribution of RNA-binding proteins are key determinants involved in the tissue-specific regulation of splice site selection.

Alternative Splicing↗