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PubMed2005

Evidence that public database records for many cancer-associated genes reflect a splice form found in tumors and lack normal splice forms.

Alternative splicing is widespread in the human genome, and it appears that many genes display different splice forms in cancerous tissue than in normal human tissues. However, since cDNAs for many cancer-associated genes were originally cloned from tumor samples, it is important to ask whether this repertoire of cDNAs provides a complete or representative picture of the transcript isoforms found in normal tissues. To answer this, we used bioinformatics and RT-PCR to identify novel splice forms, focusing on in-frame exonskips, for a panel of 50 cancer-associated genes in normal tissue samples. These data show that in nearly two-thirds of the genes, normal tissues expressed previously unknown splice forms, of which 40% were normally a dominant splice form. Surprisingly, the tumor-associated splice forms were twice as likely to be represented in GenBank than their normal tissue-associated splice forms, most likely because 70% of the mRNAs in GenBank for these genes were cloned from tumor samples. As an example, we describe a novel normal splice form of IKBbeta, an important regulator of the NFkappaB pathway. Our data suggest that systematic re-evaluation of cancer genes' splice forms in normal tissue will yield insights into their distinct functions in normal tissues and in cancer. Our database contains 1308 novel normal splice forms, including many known cancer genes.

Alternative Splicing↗
PubMed1997

Spliced human endogenous retroviral HERV-H env transcripts in T-cell leukaemia cell lines and normal leukocytes: alternative splicing pattern of HERV-H transcripts.

The majority of human endogenous retroviral HERV-H elements in the human genome have large deletions in pol and lack most of env, 5-10% are more or less complete with a potentially immunosuppressive transmembrane protein-encoding env region. Spliced HERV-H env transcripts were detected in T-cell leukaemia cell lines and lymphocytes from healthy blood donors by using RT-PCR. The transcripts all contained a splice donor in the leader region downstream from the primer-binding site and a previously unreported splice acceptor in the integrase-encoding region of pol, absent in the HERV-H deletion elements. In singly spliced transcripts the leader and integrase regions were joined directly whereas in multiply spliced transcripts they were joined with an alternative exon from the protease-encoding region located between the two regions. env transcripts from three different HERV-H elements were identified: one element similar to a HERV-H consensus sequence was primarily amplified from the T-cell leukaemia cell lines and two other more defective elements were amplified from normal lymphocytes. One of these elements was shown to be a reintegrated spliced transcript where the protease and integrase regions were joined, removing most of pol but leaving gag intact. Other spliced transcripts, joining the protease region and the 3'-LTR, were also amplified. The fact that HERV-H elements with an intact env splice acceptor also use the splice sites in the protease-encoding region suggests that this unusual multiple splice pattern could have a biological function in the intact HERV-H.

Alternative Splicing↗
PubMed1991

Alternative splicing in the neural cell adhesion molecule pre-mRNA: regulation of exon 18 skipping depends on the 5'-splice site.

Two isoforms of the neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM), termed NCAM-180 and NCAM-140, derive from a single gene via inclusion or exclusion of the penultimate exon 18 (E18). This alternative splicing event is tissue-specific and regulated during differentiation. To explore its structural basis, we have analyzed the pattern of spliced mRNA generated from transiently transfected minigenes construct containing this exon and portions of the adjacent introns and exons faithfully reproduces the differentiation state-dependent alternative splicing of the endogenous pre-mRNA. By systematic deletion and replacement analysis, we scanned the minigene for the presence of functionally important cis-elements. We identified two sequences that affected differentiation state-dependent regulation. One, the central part of E18, does not seem to contain a specific cis-element essential for proper splice site choice, because extending the deletion restored correctly regulated expression of the splicing products. In contrast, the 5'-splice site is an important element for regulation. Replacing it with a corresponding sequence from the alpha-globin gene resulted in constitutive use of the optional exon. When placed in the alpha-globin gene it did not promote alternative splicing. Instead, we observed a strongly decreased efficiency of splicing of the downstream intron in undifferentiated cells. This block of splicing was partially relieved after differentiation. The results are consistent with a model in which skipping of E18 is controlled in part at the associated 5'-splice site by trans-acting factors that undergo quantitative or qualitative changes during differentiation of N2a cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

The tat/rev intron of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 is inefficiently spliced because of suboptimal signals in the 3' splice site.

Proportional expression of retroviral genes requires that splicing of the viral primary transcript be an inefficient process. Much of our current knowledge about retroviral suboptimal splicing comes from studies with Rous sarcoma virus. In this report, we describe the use of chimeric introns composed of human beta-globin and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) splice sites to establish the basis for inefficient splicing of the intron which comprises most of the HIV-1 env coding sequences (referred to as the tat/rev intron). S1 RNA analysis of transfected COS-7 cells revealed that the 3' splice site (3' ss) of this region was significantly less efficient than the 3' ss of the first intron of beta-globin. Deletion of sequences flanking the tat/rev intron 3' ss demonstrated that the requirements for its inefficiency reside within the region that is expected to comprise the essential signals for splicing (i.e., the branchpoint region, the polypyrimidine tract, and the AG dinucleotide). Introduction of an exact copy of the efficient beta-globin branchpoint sequence within a highly conserved region rendered the tat/rev intron 3' ss highly efficient. Improvement of the polypyrimidine tract also increased the splicing efficiency, but to a degree slightly less than that obtained with the branchpoint mutation. Subsequent examination of the tat/rev intron 5' splice site in a heterologous context revealed that it is efficiently utilized. These results indicate that both a poor branchpoint region and a poor polypyrimidine tract are responsible for the low splicing efficiency of the HIV-1 tat/rev intron. It is of fundamental interest to establish the basis for inefficient splicing of the HIV-1 tat/rev intron since it may provide the key to understanding why nuclear export of mRNAs encoding HIV-1 structural proteins is Rev dependent.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1997

A naturally arising mutation of a potential silencer of exon splicing in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 induces dominant aberrant splicing and arrests virus production.

We have isolated a naturally arising human immunodeficiency type 1 (HIV-1) mutant containing a point mutation within the env gene. The point mutation resulted in complete loss of balanced splicing, with dominant production of aberrant mRNAs. The aberrant RNAs arose via activation of normally cryptic splice sites flanking the mutation within the env terminal exon to create exon 6D, which was subsequently incorporated in aberrant env, tat, rev, and nef mRNAs. Aberrant multiply spliced messages contributed to reduced virus replication as a result of a reduction in wild-type Rev protein. The point mutation within exon 6D activated exon 6D inclusion when the exon and its flanking splice sites were transferred to a heterologous minigene. Introduction of the point mutation into an otherwise wild-type HIV-1 proviral clone resulted in virus that was severely inhibited for replication in T cells and displayed elevated usage of exon 6D. Exon 6D contains a bipartite element similar to that seen in tat exon 3 of HIV-1, consisting of a potential exon splicing silencer (ESS) juxtaposed to a purine-rich sequence similar to known exon splicing enhancers. In the absence of a flanking 5' splice site, the point mutation within the exon 6D ESS-like element strongly activated env splicing, suggesting that the putative ESS plays a natural role in limiting the level of env splicing. We propose, therefore, that exon silencers may be a common element in the HIV-1 genome used to create balanced splicing of multiple products from a single precursor RNA.

Alternative Splicing↗
PubMed2002

A secondary structure that contains the 5' and 3' splice sites suppresses splicing of duck hepatitis B virus pregenomic RNA.

Pregenomic RNA (pgRNA) plays two major roles in the hepadnavirus life cycle. It is the mRNA for two proteins required for DNA replication, C and P, and it is the template for reverse transcription. pgRNA is a terminally redundant transcript whose synthesis does not involve RNA splicing. For duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV), a spliced RNA is derived from pgRNA by removal of a single intron. The mechanism for the simultaneous cytoplasmic accumulation of unspliced (pgRNA) and spliced RNA was not known. We found that mutations within two regions of the DHBV genome reduced the level of pgRNA while increasing the level of spliced RNA. One region is near the 5' end of pgRNA (region A), while the second is near the middle of pgRNA (region B). Inspection of the DHBV nucleotide sequence indicated that region A could base pair with region B. The 5' and 3' splice sites of the intron of the spliced RNA are within regions A and B, respectively. Substitutions that disrupted the predicted base pairing reduced the accumulation of pgRNA and increased the accumulation of spliced RNA. Restoration of base pairing, albeit mutant in sequence, resulted in restoration of pgRNA accumulation with a decrease in the level of spliced RNA. Our data are consistent with a model in which splicing of the pgRNA is suppressed by a secondary structure between regions A and B that occludes the splicing machinery from modifying pgRNA.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

A splicing enhancer in the E4 coding region of human papillomavirus type 16 is required for early mRNA splicing and polyadenylation as well as inhibition of premature late gene expression.

Successful inhibition of human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV-16) late gene expression early in the life cycle is essential for persistence of infection, the highest risk factor for cervical cancer. Our study aimed to locate regulatory RNA elements in the early region of HPV-16 that influence late gene expression. For this purpose, subgenomic HPV-16 expression plasmids under control of the strong human cytomegalovirus immediate early promoter were used. An exonic splicing enhancer that firmly supported the use of the E4 3' splice site at position 3358 in the early region of the HPV-16 genome was identified. The enhancer was mapped to a 65-nucleotide AC-rich sequence located approximately 100 nucleotides downstream of the position 3358 3' splice site. Deletion of the enhancer caused loss of both splicing at the upstream position 3358 3' splice site and polyadenylation at the early polyadenylation signal, pAE. Direct splicing occurred at the competing L1 3' splice site at position 5639 in the late region. Optimization of the position 3358 3' splice site restored splicing to that site and polyadenylation at pAE. Additionally, a sequence of 40 nucleotides with a negative effect on late mRNA production was located immediately downstream of the enhancer. As the E4 3' splice site is employed by both early and late mRNAs, the enhancer constitutes a key regulator of temporal HPV-16 gene expression, which is required for early mRNA production as well as for the inhibition of premature late gene expression.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1990

Effect of 5' splice site mutations on splicing of the preceding intron.

Three exon constructs containing identical intron and exon sequences were mutated at the 5' splice site beginning intron 2 and assayed for the effect of the mutation on splicing of the upstream intron in vitro. Alteration of two or six bases within the 5' splice site reduced removal of intron 1 at least 20-fold, as determined by quantitation of either spliced product or released lariat RNA. The prominent product was skip splicing of exon 1 to exon 3. Examination of complex formation indicated that mutation of the 5' splice site terminating exon 2 depressed the ability of precursor RNAs containing just the affected exon to direct assembly in vitro. These results suggest that mutation at the end of an internal exon inhibits the ability of the exon to be recognized by splicing factors. A comparison of the known vertebrate 5' splice site mutations in which the mutation resides at the end of an internal exon indicated that exon skipping is the preferred phenotype for this type of mutation, in agreement with the in vitro observation reported here. Inhibition of splicing by mutation at the distal and of the exon supports the suggestion that exons, rather than splice sites, are the recognition units for assembly of the spliceosome.

Adenoviruses, Human↗
PubMed1993

Splicing in Caenorhabditis elegans does not require an AG at the 3' splice acceptor site.

The dinucleotide AG, found at the 3' end of virtually all eukaryotic pre-mRNA introns, is thought to be essential for splicing. Reduction-of-function mutations in two Caenorhabditis elegans genes, the receptor tyrosine kinase gene let-23 and the collagen gene dpy-10, both alter the AG at the end of a short (ca. 50-nucleotide) intron to AA. The in vivo effects of these mutations were studied by sequencing polymerase chain reaction-amplified reverse-transcribed RNA isolated from the two mutants. As expected, we find transcripts that splice to a cryptic AG, skip an exon, and retain an unspliced intron. However, we also find significant levels of splicing at the mutated 3' splice site (AA) and at nearby non-AG dinucleotides. Our results indicate that for short C. elegans introns an AG is not required for splicing at either the correct 3' splice site or incorrect sites. Analysis of a splice site mutant involving a longer, 316-nucleotide C. elegans intron indicates that an AG is also not required there for splicing. We hypothesize that elements besides the invariant AG, e.g., an A-U-rich region, a UUUC motif, and/or a potential branch point sequence, are directing the selection of the 3' splice site and that in wild-type genes these elements cooperate so that proper splicing occurs.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Length changes in the joining segment between domains 5 and 6 of a group II intron inhibit self-splicing and alter 3' splice site selection.

Domain 5 (D5) and domain 6 (D6) are adjacent folded hairpin substructures of self-splicing group II introns that appear to interact within the active ribozyme. Here we describe the effects of changing the length of the 3-nucleotide segment joining D5 to D6 [called J(56)3] on the splicing reactions of intron 5 gamma of the COXI gene of yeast mitochondrial DNA. Shortened variants J(56)0 and J(56)1 were defective in vitro for branching, and the second splicing step was performed inefficiently and inaccurately. The lengthened variant J(56)5 had a milder defect-splicing occurred at a reduced rate but with correct branching and a mostly accurate 3' splice junction choice. Yeast mitochondria were transformed with the J(56)5 allele, and the resulting yeast strain was respiration deficient because of ineffective aI5 gamma splicing. Respiration-competent revertants were recovered, and in one type a single joiner nucleotide was deleted while in the other type a nucleotide of D6 was deleted. Although these revertants still showed partial splicing blocks in vivo and in vitro, including a substantial defect in the second step of splicing, both spliced accurately in vivo. These results establish that a 3-nucleotide J(56) is optimal for this intron, especially for the accuracy of 3' splice junction selection, and indicate that D5 and D6 are probably not coaxially stacked.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1997

Splicing factors associate with nuclear HCMV-IE transcripts after transcriptional activation of the gene, but dissociate upon transcription inhibition: evidence for a dynamic organization of splicing factors.

Before being transported to the cytoplasm, intron-containing pre-mRNAs have to be spliced somewhere in the cell nucleus. Efficient splicing requires an ordered assembly of splicing factors onto the pre-mRNAs. To accomplish this, intron containing genes may be preferentially localized at nuclear sites enriched for splicing factors or alternatively, splicing factors may circulate throughout the nucleus and have the ability to associate with randomly positioned nascent transcripts. Combined detection of HCMV-IE mRNA/DNA and splicing factors in rat 9G cells that can be induced for IE gene expression shows that IE genes are not associated with speckled regions enriched for splicing factors when transcriptionally inactive, but 'attract' splicing factors when transcriptionally activated. This process proved reversible after transcription inhibition. IE transcripts appeared to be retained near the transcription site in track-like domains by splicing factors associated with them until splicing has been completed. Double-hybridization experiments revealed that a substantial part of the accumulated transcripts contain a poly(A) tail suggesting that most, if not all, IE transcripts are polyadenylated at the site of transcription. These results indicate that RNA processing may occur independent of the position of the gene in the cell nucleus relative to speckle domains.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

The alternative splicing of the CD45 tyrosine phosphatase is controlled by negative regulatory trans-acting splicing factors.

CD45, a receptor-type protein tyrosine phosphatase involved in lymphocyte activation, consists of five isoforms generated by alternative mRNA splicing. The pattern of CD45 splicing depends upon cell type, state of activation, and thymic development. We previously showed that mouse B and thymocyte cell lines transfected with a human CD45 minigene construct appropriately splice the alternative exons, demonstrating the presence of trans-acting tissue-specific splicing factors. To study the regulation of CD45 alternative splicing, cells having different splicing patterns were transiently fused, and mRNA was analyzed using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Human B cells, normally producing only the largest CD45 mRNAs, could splice out the alternative exons after fusion with mouse thymocytes. In contrast, the splicing pattern of human T cell lines (smaller CD45 isoforms) was unaltered by fusion with mouse B cells. This suggests that cells expressing the smallest CD45 isoform contain negatively acting trans-factor(s) that allow the alternative exons to be skipped, and that the full length isoform containing all three alternative exons is the default pattern of splicing. In agreement, incubation of thymocytes or T cell subsets with cycloheximide increased mRNA corresponding to the larger isoforms. CD45 isoform expression can now be interpreted in terms of the presence or absence of negative regulatory trans-acting splicing factors.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Occurrence of multiple aberrantly spliced mRNAs upon a donor splice site mutation that causes familial lipoprotein lipase deficiency.

A donor splice site mutation was found in the lipoprotein lipase (LPL) gene of a patient with familial LPL deficiency. The mutation, a G----A substitution, occurred at the first nucleotide of intron 2. Northern blot analysis of total RNA from the patient showed strikingly low levels of LPL-specific mRNAs. Using the polymerase chain reaction, the LPL mRNA splicing was analyzed in detail. The results demonstrated that no normal splicing occurred at the authentic splice site; rather a cryptic splice site 18 bases upstream from the mutation site was preferentially utilized. Although the resulting alteration in mRNA was a minute in-frame 18-base deletion, the amount of the abnormal transcript was only 1/12 that of the normal. In addition to this major cryptic splice site, we also identified multiple minor sites which were utilized at extremely lower efficiencies. Unexpectedly, one of these minor sites was also used as an alternative splice site in the normal subject at a comparably low efficiency. The sequences of these minor cryptic sites possessed many of the characteristics common to those of other normal splice sites, indicating that even such minor sites should have also been selected according to the general rules for splice site selection. These results demonstrate that upon mutation, a broad spectrum of cryptic splice sites is activated in vivo at the sites' respective efficiencies.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Regulation of adenovirus alternative RNA splicing correlates with a reorganization of splicing factors in the nucleus.

Subcellular compartmentalization of splicing factors has been proposed to play a role in the regulation of alternative splicing. In the present work we have addressed this issue using adenovirus-infected cells to visualize an alternative splicing switch at the single cell level. The adenovirus gene expression program requires the activation of distal alternative 3' splice sites during the late phase of infection in major late transcripts. We have established in situ hybridization conditions that allow for the specific detection of 3' alternatively spliced adenoviral mRNAs from the L1 transcript family. Results show that the switch from proximal to distal 3' splice sites correlates with a massive reorganization of splicing factors in the cell nucleus, involving their recruitment from nuclear speckles to sites of viral transcription. This observation raises the possibility that the subnuclear organization of splicing factors may be regulated in response to events that lead to the activation of alternative splicing programs.

Adenoviridae↗
PubMed1993

The protein Sex-lethal antagonizes the splicing factor U2AF to regulate alternative splicing of transformer pre-mRNA.

Somatic sexual differentiation in Drosophila melanogaster involves a cascade of regulated splicing events and provides an attractive model system for the analysis of alternative splicing mechanisms. The protein Sex-lethal (Sxl) activates a female-specific 3' splice site in the first intron of transformer (tra) pre-mRNA while repressing an alternative non-sex-specific site. We have developed an in vitro system that recapitulates this regulation in a manner consistent with genetic, transfection and fly transformation studies. Using this system, we have determined the molecular basis of the splice site switch. Here we show that Sxl inhibits splicing to the non-sex-specific (default) site by specifically binding to its polypyrimidine tract, blocking the binding of the essential splicing factor U2AF. This enables U2AF to activate the lower-affinity female-specific site. A splicing 'effector' domain present in U2AF but absent from Sxl accounts for the different activities of these two polypyrimidine-tract-binding proteins: addition of the U2AF effector domain to Sxl converts it from a splicing repressor to an activator and renders it unable to mediate splice-site switching.

Alternative Splicing↗
PubMed2002

New components of the spliced leader RNP required for nematode trans-splicing.

Pre-messenger-RNA maturation in nematodes and in several other lower eukaryotic phyla involves spliced leader (SL) addition trans-splicing. In this unusual RNA processing reaction, a short common 5' exon, the SL, is affixed to the 5'-most exon of multiple pre-mRNAs. The nematode SL is derived from a trans-splicing-specific approximately 100-nucleotide RNA (SL RNA) that bears striking similarities to the cis-spliceosomal U small nuclear RNAs U1, U2, U4 and U5 (refs 3, 4); for example, the SL RNA functions only if it is assembled into an Sm small nuclear ribonucleoprotein (snRNP). Here we have purified and characterized the SL RNP and show that it contains two proteins (relative molecular masses 175,000 and 30,000 (M(r) 175K and 30K)) in addition to core Sm proteins. Immunodepletion and reconstitution with recombinant proteins demonstrates that both proteins are essential for SL trans-splicing; however, neither protein is required either for conventional cis-splicing or for bimolecular (trans-) splicing of fragmented cis constructs. The M(r) 175K and 30K SL RNP proteins are the first factors identified that are involved uniquely in SL trans-splicing. Several lines of evidence indicate that the SL RNP proteins function by participating in a trans-splicing specific network of protein protein interactions analogous to the U1 snRNP SF1/BBP U2AF complex that comprises the cross-intron bridge in cis-splicing.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Selective modification of alternative splicing by indole derivatives that target serine-arginine-rich protein splicing factors.

The prevalence of alternative splicing as a target for alterations leading to human genetic disorders makes it highly relevant for therapy. Here we have used in vitro splicing reactions with different splicing reporter constructs to screen 4,000 chemical compounds for their ability to selectively inhibit spliceosome assembly and splicing. We discovered indole derivatives as potent inhibitors of the splicing reaction. Importantly, compounds of this family specifically inhibit exonic splicing enhancer (ESE)-dependent splicing, because they interact directly and selectively with members of the serine-arginine-rich protein family. Treatment of cells expressing reporter constructs with ESE sequences demonstrated that selected indole derivatives mediate inhibition of ESE usage in vivo and prevent early splicing events required for HIV replication. This discovery opens the exciting possibility of a causal pharmacological treatment of aberrant splicing in human genetic disorders and development of new antiviral therapeutic approaches.

Alternative Splicing↗
PubMed2004

An exonic splicing enhancer offsets the atypical GU-rich 3' splice site of human apolipoprotein A-II exon 3.

Human apolipoprotein A-II (apoA-II) intron 2/exon 3 junction shows a peculiar tract of alternating pyrimidines and purines (GU tract) that makes the acceptor site deviate significantly from the consensus. However, apoA-II exon 3 is constitutively included in mRNA. We have studied this unusual exon definition by creating a construct with the genomic fragment encompassing the whole gene from apoA-II and its regulatory regions. Transient transfections in Hep3B cells have shown that deletion or replacement of the GU repeats at the 3' splice site resulted in a decrease of apoA-II exon 3 inclusion, indicating a possible role of the GU tract in splicing. However, a 3' splice site composed of the GU tract in heterologous context, such as the extra domain A of human fibronectin or cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator exon 9, resulted in total skipping of the exons. Next, we identified the exonic cis-acting elements that may affect the splicing efficiency of apoA-II exon 3 and found that the region spanning from nucleotide 87 to 113 of human apoA-II exon 3 is essential for its inclusion in the mRNA. Overlapping deletions and point mutations (between nucleotides 91 and 102) precisely defined an exonic splicing enhancer (ESEwt). UV cross-linking assays followed by immunoprecipitation with anti-SR protein monoclonal antibodies showed that ESEwt, but not mutated ESE RNA, was able to bind both alternative splicing factor/splicing factor 2 and SC35. Furthermore, overexpression of both splicing factors enhanced exon 3 inclusion. These results show that this protein-ESE interaction is able to promote the incorporation of exon 3 in mRNA and suggest that they can rescue the splicing despite the noncanonical 3' splice site.

Apolipoprotein A-II↗