αCP binding to a cytosine-rich subset of polypyrimidine tracts drives a novel pathway of cassette exon splicing in the mammalian transcriptome.

ABSTRACT: Alternative splicing (AS) is a robust generator of mammalian transcriptome complexity. Splice site specification is controlled by interactions of cis-acting determinants on a transcript with specific RNA binding proteins. These interactions are frequently localized to the intronic U-rich polypyrimidine tracts (PPT) located 5' to the majority of splice acceptor junctions. αCPs (also referred to as polyC-binding proteins (PCBPs) and hnRNPEs) comprise a subset of KH-domain proteins with high affinity and specificity for C-rich polypyrimidine motifs. Here, we demonstrate that αCPs promote the splicing of a defined subset of cassette exons via binding to a C-rich subset of polypyrimidine tracts located 5' to the αCP-enhanced exonic segments. This enhancement of splice acceptor activity is linke

SUBMITTER: Ji X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4797308 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature