scholarly journals Global donor and acceptor splicing site kinetics in human cells

eLife ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonhard Wachutka ◽  
Livia Caizzi ◽  
Julien Gagneur ◽  
Patrick Cramer

RNA splicing is an essential part of eukaryotic gene expression. Although the mechanism of splicing has been extensively studied in vitro, in vivo kinetics for the two-step splicing reaction remain poorly understood. Here, we combine transient transcriptome sequencing (TT-seq) and mathematical modeling to quantify RNA metabolic rates at donor and acceptor splice sites across the human genome. Splicing occurs in the range of minutes and is limited by the speed of RNA polymerase elongation. Splicing kinetics strongly depends on the position and nature of nucleotides flanking splice sites, and on structural interactions between unspliced RNA and small nuclear RNAs in spliceosomal intermediates. Finally, we introduce the ‘yield’ of splicing as the efficiency of converting unspliced to spliced RNA and show that it is highest for mRNAs and independent of splicing kinetics. These results lead to quantitative models describing how splicing rates and yield are encoded in the human genome.

2013 ◽  
Vol 54 ◽  
pp. 79-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saba Valadkhan ◽  
Lalith S. Gunawardane

Eukaryotic cells contain small, highly abundant, nuclear-localized non-coding RNAs [snRNAs (small nuclear RNAs)] which play important roles in splicing of introns from primary genomic transcripts. Through a combination of RNA–RNA and RNA–protein interactions, two of the snRNPs, U1 and U2, recognize the splice sites and the branch site of introns. A complex remodelling of RNA–RNA and protein-based interactions follows, resulting in the assembly of catalytically competent spliceosomes, in which the snRNAs and their bound proteins play central roles. This process involves formation of extensive base-pairing interactions between U2 and U6, U6 and the 5′ splice site, and U5 and the exonic sequences immediately adjacent to the 5′ and 3′ splice sites. Thus RNA–RNA interactions involving U2, U5 and U6 help position the reacting groups of the first and second steps of splicing. In addition, U6 is also thought to participate in formation of the spliceosomal active site. Furthermore, emerging evidence suggests additional roles for snRNAs in regulation of various aspects of RNA biogenesis, from transcription to polyadenylation and RNA stability. These snRNP-mediated regulatory roles probably serve to ensure the co-ordination of the different processes involved in biogenesis of RNAs and point to the central importance of snRNAs in eukaryotic gene expression.


2006 ◽  
Vol 2006 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Letizia Venturini ◽  
Matthias Eder ◽  
Michaela Scherr

In the past few years, the discovery of RNA-mediated gene silencing mechanisms, like RNA interference (RNAi), has revolutionized our understanding of eukaryotic gene expression. These mechanisms are activated by double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) and mediate gene silencing either by inducing the sequence-specific degradation of complementary mRNA or by inhibiting mRNA translation. RNAi now provides a powerful experimental tool to elucidate gene function in vitro and in vivo, thereby opening new exciting perspectives in the fields of molecular analysis and eventually therapy of several diseases such as infections and cancer. In hematology, numerous studies have described the successful application of RNAi to better define the role of oncogenic fusion proteins in leukemogenesis and to explore therapeutic approaches in hematological malignancies. In this review, we highlight recent advances and caveats relating to the application of this powerful new methodology to hematopoiesis.


1993 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 2677-2687 ◽  
Author(s):  
D A Sterner ◽  
S M Berget

Very small vertebrate exons are problematic for RNA splicing because of the proximity of their 3' and 5' splice sites. In this study, we investigated the recognition of a constitutive 7-nucleotide mini-exon from the troponin I gene that resides quite close to the adjacent upstream exon. The mini-exon failed to be included in spliced RNA when placed in a heterologous gene unless accompanied by the upstream exon. The requirement for the upstream exon disappeared when the mini-exon was internally expanded, suggesting that the splice sites bordering the mini-exon are compatible with those of other constitutive vertebrate exons and that the small size of the exon impaired inclusion. Mutation of the 5' splice site of the natural upstream exon did not result in either exon skipping or activation of a cryptic 5' splice site, the normal vertebrate phenotypes for such mutants. Instead, a spliced RNA accumulated that still contained the upstream intron. In vitro, the mini-exon failed to assemble into spliceosome complexes unless either internally expanded or accompanied by the upstream exon. Thus, impaired usage of the mini-exon in vivo was accompanied by impaired recognition in vitro, and recognition of the mini-exon was facilitated by the presence of the upstream exon in vivo and in vitro. Cumulatively, the atypical in vivo and in vitro properties of the troponin exons suggest a mechanism for the recognition of this mini-exon in which initial recognition of an exon-intron-exon unit is followed by subsequent recognition of the intron.


1993 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 2677-2687
Author(s):  
D A Sterner ◽  
S M Berget

Very small vertebrate exons are problematic for RNA splicing because of the proximity of their 3' and 5' splice sites. In this study, we investigated the recognition of a constitutive 7-nucleotide mini-exon from the troponin I gene that resides quite close to the adjacent upstream exon. The mini-exon failed to be included in spliced RNA when placed in a heterologous gene unless accompanied by the upstream exon. The requirement for the upstream exon disappeared when the mini-exon was internally expanded, suggesting that the splice sites bordering the mini-exon are compatible with those of other constitutive vertebrate exons and that the small size of the exon impaired inclusion. Mutation of the 5' splice site of the natural upstream exon did not result in either exon skipping or activation of a cryptic 5' splice site, the normal vertebrate phenotypes for such mutants. Instead, a spliced RNA accumulated that still contained the upstream intron. In vitro, the mini-exon failed to assemble into spliceosome complexes unless either internally expanded or accompanied by the upstream exon. Thus, impaired usage of the mini-exon in vivo was accompanied by impaired recognition in vitro, and recognition of the mini-exon was facilitated by the presence of the upstream exon in vivo and in vitro. Cumulatively, the atypical in vivo and in vitro properties of the troponin exons suggest a mechanism for the recognition of this mini-exon in which initial recognition of an exon-intron-exon unit is followed by subsequent recognition of the intron.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Saikat Bhattacharya ◽  
Michaella J. Levy ◽  
Ning Zhang ◽  
Hua Li ◽  
Laurence Florens ◽  
...  

AbstractHeterogeneous ribonucleoproteins (hnRNPs) are RNA binding molecules that are involved in key processes such as RNA splicing and transcription. One such hnRNP protein, hnRNP L, regulates alternative splicing (AS) by binding to pre-mRNA transcripts. However, it is unclear what factors contribute to hnRNP L-regulated AS events. Using proteomic approaches, we identified several key factors that co-purify with hnRNP L. We demonstrate that one such factor, the histone methyltransferase SETD2, specifically interacts with hnRNP L in vitro and in vivo. This interaction occurs through a previously uncharacterized domain in SETD2, the SETD2-hnRNP Interaction (SHI) domain, the deletion of which, leads to a reduced H3K36me3 deposition. Functionally, SETD2 regulates a subset of hnRNP L-targeted AS events. Our findings demonstrate that SETD2, by interacting with Pol II as well as hnRNP L, can mediate the crosstalk between the transcription and the splicing machinery.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhe Sun ◽  
Alexander V. Yakhnin ◽  
Peter C. FitzGerald ◽  
Carl E. Mclntosh ◽  
Mikhail Kashlev

AbstractPromoter-proximal pausing regulates eukaryotic gene expression and serves as checkpoints to assemble elongation/splicing machinery. Little is known how broadly this type of pausing regulates transcription in bacteria. We apply nascent elongating transcript sequencing combined with RNase I footprinting for genome-wide analysis of σ70-dependent transcription pauses in Escherichia coli. Retention of σ70 induces strong backtracked pauses at a 10−20-bp distance from many promoters. The pauses in the 10−15-bp register of the promoter are dictated by the canonical −10 element, 6−7 nt spacer and “YR+1Y” motif centered at the transcription start site. The promoters for the pauses in the 16−20-bp register contain an additional −10-like sequence recognized by σ70. Our in vitro analysis reveals that DNA scrunching is involved in these pauses relieved by Gre cleavage factors. The genes coding for transcription factors are enriched in these pauses, suggesting that σ70 and Gre proteins regulate transcription in response to changing environmental cues.


1987 ◽  
Vol 7 (9) ◽  
pp. 3194-3198 ◽  
Author(s):  
D Solnick ◽  
S I Lee

We set up an alternative splicing system in vitro in which the relative amounts of two spliced RNAs, one containing and the other lacking a particular exon, were directly proportional to the length of an inverted repeat inserted into the flanking introns. We then used the system to measure the effect of intramolecular complementarity on alternative splicing in vivo. We found that an alternative splice was induced in vivo only when the introns contained more than approximately 50 nucleotides of perfect complementarity, that is, only when the secondary structure was much more stable than most if not all possible secondary structures in natural mRNA precursors. We showed further that intron insertions containing long complements to splice sites and a branch point inhibited splicing in vitro but not in vivo. These results raise the possibility that in cells most pre-mRNA secondary structures either are not maintained long enough to influence splicing choices, or never form at all.


1971 ◽  
Vol 122 (3) ◽  
pp. 267-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. C. N. Earl ◽  
Susan T. Hindley

1. At 3 min after an intravenous injection of radioactive amino acids into the rat, the bulk of radioactivity associated with liver polyribosomes can be interpreted as growing peptides. 2. In an attempt to identify the rate-limiting step of protein synthesis in vivo and in vitro, use was made of the action of puromycin at 0°C, in releasing growing peptides only from the donor site, to study the distribution of growing peptides between the donor and acceptor sites. 3. Evidence is presented that all growing peptides in a population of liver polyribosomes labelled in vivo are similarly distributed between the donor and acceptor sites, and that the proportion released by puromycin is not an artifact of methodology. 4. The proportion released by puromycin is about 50% for both liver and muscle polyribosomes labelled in vivo, suggesting that neither the availability nor binding of aminoacyl-tRNA nor peptide bond synthesis nor translocation can limit the rate of protein synthesis in vivo. Attempts to alter this by starvation, hypophysectomy, growth hormone, alloxan, insulin and partial hepatectomy were unsuccessful. 5. Growing peptides on liver polyribosomes labelled in a cell-free system in vitro or by incubating hemidiaphragms in vitro were largely in the donor site, suggesting that either the availability or binding of aminoacyl-tRNA, or peptide bond synthesis, must be rate limiting in vitro and that the rate-limiting step differs from that in vivo. 6. Neither in vivo nor in the hemidiaphragm system in vitro was a correlation found between the proportion of growing peptides in the donor site and changes in the rate of incorporation of radioactivity into protein. This could indicate that the intracellular concentration of amino acids or aminoacyl-tRNA limits the rate of protein synthesis and that the increased incorporation results from a rise to a higher but still suboptimum concentration.


2006 ◽  
Vol 26 (8) ◽  
pp. 3149-3163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christophe Leroy ◽  
Laëtitia Cormier ◽  
Laurent Kuras

ABSTRACT Mediator is a key RNA polymerase II (Pol II) cofactor in the regulation of eukaryotic gene expression. It is believed to function as a coactivator linking gene-specific activators to the basal Pol II initiation machinery. In support of this model, we provide evidence that Mediator serves in vivo as a coactivator for the yeast activator Met4, which controls the gene network responsible for the biosynthesis of sulfur-containing amino acids and S-adenosylmethionine. In addition, we show that SAGA (Spt-Ada-Gcn5-acetyltransferase) is also recruited to Met4 target promoters, where it participates in the recruitment of Pol II by a mechanism involving histone acetylation. Interestingly, we find that SAGA is not required for Mediator recruitment by Met4 and vice versa. Our results provide a novel example of functional interplay between Mediator and coactivators involved in histone modification.


1988 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 4858-4867 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Arrigo ◽  
K Beemon

Only a fraction of retroviral primary transcripts are spliced to subgenomic mRNAs; the unspliced transcripts are transported to the cytoplasm for packaging into virions and for translation of the gag and pol genes. We identified cis-acting sequences within the gag gene of Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) which negatively regulate splicing in vivo. Mutations were generated downstream of the splice donor (base 397) in the intron of a proviral clone of RSV. Deletion of bases 708 to 800 or 874 to 987 resulted in a large increase in the level of spliced RSV RNA relative to unspliced RSV RNA. This negative regulator of splicing (nrs) also inhibited splicing of a heterologous splice donor and acceptor pair when inserted into the intron. The nrs element did not affect the level of spliced RNA by increasing the rate of transport of the unspliced RNA to the cytoplasm but interfered more directly with splicing. To investigate the possible role of gag proteins in splicing, we studied constructs carrying frameshift mutations in the gag gene. While these mutations, which caused premature termination of gag translation, did not affect the level of spliced RSV RNA, they resulted in a large decrease in the accumulation of unspliced RNA in the cytoplasm.


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