Sequence-dependent and -independent effects of intron-mediated enhancement learned from thousands of random introns.

ABSTRACT: Spliceosomal introns are a ubiquitous feature of eukaryotic genes, whose presence often boosts the expression of their host gene, a phenomenon known as intron-mediated enhancement (IME). IME has been noted across diverse genes and organisms but remains mysterious in many respects. For example, how does intron sequence affect the magnitude of IME? In this study, we performed a massively parallel reporter assay (MPRA) to assess the effect of varying intron sequence on gene expression in a high-throughput manner, in human cells, using tens of thousands of synthetic introns with natural splice sites and randomized internal sequence. We observe that most random introns splice efficiently and enhance gene expression as well as or better than fully natural introns. Nearly all introns stimulate ge

SUBMITTER: Kowal EJK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11850230 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature