Splicing of long non-coding RNAs primarily depends on polypyrimidine tract and 5' splice-site sequences due to weak interactions with SR proteins.

ABSTRACT: Many nascent long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) undergo the same maturation steps as pre-mRNAs of protein-coding genes (PCGs), but they are often poorly spliced. To identify the underlying mechanisms for this phenomenon, we searched for putative splicing inhibitory sequences using the ncRNA-a2 as a model. Genome-wide analyses of intergenic lncRNAs (lincRNAs) revealed that lincRNA splicing efficiency positively correlates with 5'ss strength while no such correlation was identified for PCGs. In addition, efficiently spliced lincRNAs have higher thymidine content in the polypyrimidine tract (PPT) compared to efficiently spliced PCGs. Using model lincRNAs, we provide experimental evidence that strengthening the 5'ss and increasing the T content in PPT significantly enhances lincRNA splicing. We fu

SUBMITTER: Krchnakova Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6344860 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature