Intron looping is mediated during transcription by U1 snRNP and RNA polymerase II [RNA-Seq]
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ABSTRACT: In the earliest step of spliceosome assembly, the two splice sites flanking an intron are brought into proximity by U1 snRNP and U2AF. The mechanism that facilitates this intron looping is poorly understood. Using a CRISPR interference-based approach to halt RNA polymerase II transcription in the middle of introns, we discovered that the 5 splice site base pairs with a U1 snRNA that is tethered to RNA polymerase II during intron synthesis. Correlation with splicing outcomes demonstrate that these associations are functional. The interactions between 5 splice sites, U1 snRNP, and elongating RNA polymerase II occurs genome-wide. Our findings reveal that during intron synthesis the upstream 5 splice site remains attached to the transcriptional machinery and is thus brought into proximity of the 3 splice site to enable rapid splicing.
Project description:In the earliest step of spliceosome assembly, the two splice sites flanking an intron are brought into proximity by U1 snRNP and U2AF. The mechanism that facilitates this intron looping is poorly understood. Using a CRISPR interference-based approach to halt RNA polymerase II transcription in the middle of introns, we discovered that the 5 splice site base pairs with a U1 snRNA that is tethered to RNA polymerase II during intron synthesis. Correlation with splicing outcomes demonstrate that these associations are functional. The interactions between 5 splice sites, U1 snRNP, and elongating RNA polymerase II occurs genome-wide. Our findings reveal that during intron synthesis the upstream 5 splice site remains attached to the transcriptional machinery and is thus brought into proximity of the 3 splice site to enable rapid splicing.
Project description:In the earliest step of spliceosome assembly, the two splice sites flanking an intron are brought into proximity by U1 snRNP and U2AF. The mechanism that facilitates this intron looping is poorly understood. Using a CRISPR interference-based approach to halt RNA polymerase II transcription in the middle of introns, we discovered that the 5 splice site base pairs with a U1 snRNA that is tethered to RNA polymerase II during intron synthesis. Correlation with splicing outcomes demonstrate that these associations are functional. The interactions between 5 splice sites, U1 snRNP, and elongating RNA polymerase II occurs genome-wide. Our findings reveal that during intron synthesis the upstream 5 splice site remains attached to the transcriptional machinery and is thus brought into proximity of the 3 splice site to enable rapid splicing.
Project description:Synaptic activity induces well-known changes in enhancer-promoter driven gene expression but also induces changes in splicing and polyadenylation that are understudied. Here, we investigate the mechanism of expression for alternative polyadenylation isoform Homer1a, an immediate early gene essential to synaptic plasticity. We report that neuronal activation, in neuronal cultures and in adult mouse brain, depletes the splice factor U1 snRNP from Homer1 pre-mRNA and that this causes shifted utilization of a cryptic polyadenylation signal within intron 5 resulting in Homer1a expression. Because U1 snRNP is a ubiquitous splice factor, we tested the generality of activity-driven U1 snRNP depletion as a mechanism for gene expression using RNA immunoprecipitation sequencing. Analysis reveals that neuronal activity changes U1 snRNP binding to ~2000 transcripts and for a subset of transcripts, a reduction in U1 snRNP binding was accompanied by utilization of a cryptic intronic polyadenylation site. This subset is enriched for transcripts encoding synaptic proteins involved in excitability control. Genes demonstrating activity-dependent reduced U1 snRNP binding often encode a binding motif for Sam68, a neuronal alternative polyadenylation factor. Findings reveal that activity-driven changes in intron utilization for transcript termination serves an important role in synaptic plasticity.
Project description:Introns are removed by the spliceosome, a large complex composed of five ribonucleoprotein subcomplexes (U snRNP). In metazoans, the U1 snRNP, which binds to 5’ splice sites, also fulfills regulatory roles in splice site selection and possesses non-splicing related functions. Here, we show that an Arabidopsis U1 snRNP subunit, LUC7, affects constitutive and alternative splicing. Interestingly, LUC7 specifically promotes splicing of a subset of terminal introns. Splicing of LUC7-dependent terminal introns is a prerequisite for nuclear export and can be modulated by stress. Globally, intron retention under stress conditions occurs preferentially among first and terminal introns, uncovering an unknown bias for splicing regulation in Arabidopsis. Taken together, our study reveals that the Arabidopsis U1 snRNP is important for alternative splicing and removal of terminal introns and it suggests that Arabidopsis terminal introns fine-tune gene expression under stress conditions.
Project description:Transcription and splicing are inherently intertwined. Accumulating evidence support a role of splicing factors in mediating this coupling. U1 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particle (U1 snRNP), a key splicing factor, acts as the initial building block of the spliceosome, interacting with nascent pre-mRNA at 5' splice sites. In addition to its role in splicing, U1 snRNP is crucial for preventing premature cleavage and polyadenylation, enabling long-distance transcription elongation. Here, we show that U1 snRNP can regulate the usage of alternative promoters through its role in inhibiting premature polyadenylation. Using antisense oligonucleotides to inhibit U1 snRNP, we first observed a markedly decrease in downstream promoter activity at the newly synthesized RNA level. Interestingly, U1 snRNP inhibition selectively impacts downstream promoters of genes featuring premature polyadenylation sites located between two promoters. Overexpressing a wild-type U1 snRNP or a gene-specific U1 snRNP designed to inhibit premature polyadenylation sites restores downstream promoter activity. Conversely, introducing a premature polyadenylation site between two promoters reduces downstream promoter activity. Exploring the underlying molecular mechanisms, we identified a substantial decrease in serine 5 phosphorylation levels in newly recruited RNA polymerase II at downstream promoters following U1 snRNP inhibition, and reduced chromatin accessibility in the vicinity of downstream promoters. Overall, our model is consistent with productive transcription from upstream promoters triggering downstream promoter activation in the presence of U1 snRNP by destabilizing nucleosomes and promoting promoter escape at downstream promoters.
Project description:Transcription and splicing are inherently intertwined. Accumulating evidence support a role of splicing factors in mediating this coupling. U1 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particle (U1 snRNP), a key splicing factor, acts as the initial building block of the spliceosome, interacting with nascent pre-mRNA at 5' splice sites. In addition to its role in splicing, U1 snRNP is crucial for preventing premature cleavage and polyadenylation, enabling long-distance transcription elongation. Here, we show that U1 snRNP can regulate the usage of alternative promoters through its role in inhibiting premature polyadenylation. Using antisense oligonucleotides to inhibit U1 snRNP, we first observed a markedly decrease in downstream promoter activity at the newly synthesized RNA level. Interestingly, U1 snRNP inhibition selectively impacts downstream promoters of genes featuring premature polyadenylation sites located between two promoters. Overexpressing a wild-type U1 snRNP or a gene-specific U1 snRNP designed to inhibit premature polyadenylation sites restores downstream promoter activity. Conversely, introducing a premature polyadenylation site between two promoters reduces downstream promoter activity. Exploring the underlying molecular mechanisms, we identified a substantial decrease in serine 5 phosphorylation levels in newly recruited RNA polymerase II at downstream promoters following U1 snRNP inhibition, and reduced chromatin accessibility in the vicinity of downstream promoters. Overall, our model is consistent with productive transcription from upstream promoters triggering downstream promoter activation in the presence of U1 snRNP by destabilizing nucleosomes and promoting promoter escape at downstream promoters.
Project description:Eukaryotic pre-mRNA processing steps, including splicing and 3′ processing, are tightly coordinated, but the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Previous studies proposed that the splicing factor U1 snRNP inhibits 3′ processing at intronic polyadenylation (IPA) sites through a splicing-independent mechanism, called telescripting. However, we found that global or gene-specific perturbation of splicing by targeting multiple splicing factors, including U1 snRNP, U2 snRNP, U2AF, and SF3b led to activation of 3′ processing at IPA sites. Inhibiting different splicing factors activated overlapping and distinct IPA sites and such specificity was determined, at least in part, by alterations in RNA polymerase II elongation and termination. Conversely, we showed that blocking pre-mRNA 3′ processing promoted splicing globally. These results strongly suggest that splicing and 3′ processing are competing processes that shape the transcriptome. Finally, as splicing inhibition-induced shifts to IPA site usage can lead to gene inactivation, including tumor suppressor genes, the use of general splicing inhibitors to treat human diseases may pose a significant risk.
Project description:Transcription and splicing are inherently intertwined. Accumulating evidence support a role of splicing factors in mediating this coupling. U1 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particle (U1 snRNP), a key splicing factor, acts as the initial building block of the spliceosome, interacting with nascent pre-mRNA at 5' splice sites. In addition to its role in splicing, U1 snRNP is crucial for preventing premature cleavage and polyadenylation, enabling long-distance transcription elongation. Here, we show that U1snRNP can regulate the usage of alternative promoters through its role in inhibiting premature polyadenylation. Using antisense oligonucleotides to inhibit U1 snRNP, we first observed a markedly decrease in downstream promoter activity at the newly synthesized RNA level. Interestingly, U1 snRNP inhibition selectively impacts downstream promoters of genes featuring premature polyadenylation sites located between two promoters. Overexpressing a wild-type U1 snRNP or a gene-specific U1 snRNP designed to inhibit premature polyadenylation sites restores downstream promoter activity. Conversely, introducing a premature polyadenylation site between two promoters reduces downstream promoter activity. Exploring the underlying molecular mechanisms, we identified a substantial decrease in serine 5 phosphorylation levels in newly recruited RNA polymerase II at downstream promoters following U1 snRNP inhibition, and reduced chromatin accessibility in the vicinity of downstream promoters. Overall, our model is consistent with productive transcription from upstream promoters triggering downstream promoter activation in the presence of U1 snRNP by destabilizing nucleosomes and promoting promoter escape at downstream promoters.
Project description:Removal of introns during pre-mRNA splicing, which is central to gene expression, initiates by base pairing of U1 snRNA with a 5' splice site (5'SS). In mammals, many introns contain weak 5'SSs that are not efficiently recognized by the canonical U1 snRNP, suggesting alternative mechanisms exist. Here, we develop a cross-linking immunoprecipitation coupled to a high-throughput sequencing method, BCLIP-seq, to identify NRDE2 (Nuclear RNAi defective-2) and CCDC174 (Coiled-Coil Domain-Containing 174) as novel RNA-binding proteins in mouse ES cells that associate with U1 snRNA and unspliced 5'SSs. Both proteins bind directly to U1 snRNA independently of canonical U1 snRNP specific proteins, and they are required for the selection and effective processing of weak 5'SSs. Our results reveal that mammalian cells use non-canonical splicing factors bound directly to U1 snRNA to effectively select suboptimal 5'SS sequences in hundreds of genes, promoting proper splice site choice and accurate pre-mRNA splicing.