Project description:In this study we investigated snRNA-mediated modulation of pre-mRNA splicing across the human transcriptome. We first quantified the relative abundance of snRNAs across a comprehensive range of healthy adult and fetal tissues, revealing a surprising variation in the relative snRNA levels both inter- and intra-tissue. To study the role of snRNAs in cancer-relevant splicing, we used breast cancer as a model, since it exhibits a high rate of aberrant splicing48, but a low frequency of mutations in the splicing machinery52. We observed fluctuations in snRNA adundance across the majority of patients, across all breast cancer subtypes. To investigate the impact of snRNA levels using a controlled system, we knocked down snRNAs in vitro, to analyze splicing both transcriptome-wide and at the level of individual exons and introns. Depletion of each specific snRNA resulted in differential splicing across more than a thousand exon junctions within mRNA transcripts. Knock-down of U1 and U2 levels was primarily associated with changes in exon inclusion rates, whereas U4 and U6 depletion predominantly caused incomplete intron removal and a resulting retention of introns in the mature mRNA. Rather than being driven by a single factor, the observed splicing changes were associated with multiple other splicing-relevant features and mechanisms, including mRNA transcription, intron size, and nucleotide composition. The snRNA-mediated changes to the splicing program were enriched within genes encoding components of core cellular pathways and processes, including multiple aspects of RNA and protein metabolism, and thereby have the potential to impact cell growth and identity. The exons and introns that were sensitive to snRNA levels displayed a high variability in splicing in vivo across primary breast cancer samples, indicating that snRNA dysregulation may contribute to aberrant splicing in cancer. We suggest that the cellular composition of snRNAs constitutes a previously unrecognized layer of splicing regulation within the cell, and that variations or disruptions in the relative abundance of the snRNAs can affect the transcriptome of both healthy and malignant cells.
Project description:RNA secondary structures have been increasingly reported to serve critical regulatory roles in post-transcriptional gene regulation. RNA G-quadruplex secondary structures can serve as cis-elements to recruit splicing factors and regulate alternative RNA splicing. We recently showed that RNA G-quadruplexes play a critical regulatory role in regulating alternative splicing during the epithelial mesenchymal transition. Due to the critical role alternative splicing plays in human health and disease, an unmet need exists to identify small molecule modulators of alternative splicing. In this study, we performed high-throughput screening using a dual-output splicing reporter to identify small molecules capable of regulating alternative splicing by interacting with RNA secondary structure G-quadruplexes. We identify emetine and its analog cephaeline as small molecules that denature RNA G-quadruplexes in a sequence and location independent manner to modify alternative splicing. Transcriptome analysis reveals that treatment with emetine globally regulates alternative splicing, including events associated with exon-proximal G-quadruplexes. These data suggest a critical role for emetine and cephealine as splicing regulators with the selective ability to disrupt RNA G-quadruplex-associated alternative splicing in vivo.
Project description:Alternative polyadenylation has been implicated as an important regulator of gene expression. In some cases, alternative polyadenylation is known to couple with alternative splicing to influence last intron removal. However, it is unknown whether alternative polyadenylation events influence alternative splicing decisions at upstream exons. Knockdown of the polyadenylation factors CFIm25 or CstF64 was used as an approach in identifying alternative polyadenylation and alternative splicing events on a genome-wide scale. Although hundreds of alternative splicing events were found to be differentially spliced in the knockdown of CstF64, genes associated with alternative polyadenylation did not exhibit an increased incidence of alternative splicing. These results demonstrate that the coupling between alternative polyadenylation and alternative splicing is usually limited to defining the last exon. The striking influence of CstF64 knockdown on alternative splicing can be explained through its effects on UTR selection of known splicing regulators such as hnRNP A2/B1, thereby indirectly influencing splice site selection. We conclude that changes in the expression of the polyadenylation factor CstF64 influences alternative splicing through indirect effects. HeLa cell line was stably transfected with shRNA plasmids targeting CstF64. Total RNA was isolated from CstF64 KD cells and wild-type control cells using Trizol according to manufacturerâs protocols. Samples were deep sequenced in duplicate using the Illumina GAIIx system.
Project description:We analysed changes in transcript levels and alternative splicing in the temporal cortex of individuals of different ages that were cognitively normal, affected by frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), or affected by Alzheimer's disease (AD). Our experiment's purpose is to provide new insights into the gene expression changes that distinguish healthy aging from neurodegeneration and identify the candidate regulators of alternative splicing that are associated with both processes.
Project description:Alternative polyadenylation has been implicated as an important regulator of gene expression. In some cases, alternative polyadenylation is known to couple with alternative splicing to influence last intron removal. However, it is unknown whether alternative polyadenylation events influence alternative splicing decisions at upstream exons. Knockdown of the polyadenylation factors CFIm25 or CstF64 was used as an approach in identifying alternative polyadenylation and alternative splicing events on a genome-wide scale. Although hundreds of alternative splicing events were found to be differentially spliced in the knockdown of CstF64, genes associated with alternative polyadenylation did not exhibit an increased incidence of alternative splicing. These results demonstrate that the coupling between alternative polyadenylation and alternative splicing is usually limited to defining the last exon. The striking influence of CstF64 knockdown on alternative splicing can be explained through its effects on UTR selection of known splicing regulators such as hnRNP A2/B1, thereby indirectly influencing splice site selection. We conclude that changes in the expression of the polyadenylation factor CstF64 influences alternative splicing through indirect effects.
Project description:Embryonic stem cells are maintained in a self-renewing and pluripotent state by multiple regulatory pathways. Pluripotent-specific transcriptional networks are sequentially reactivated as somatic cells reprogram to achieve pluripotency. How epigenetic regulators modulate this process and contribute to somatic cell reprogramming is not clear. Here we perform a functional RNAi screen to identify the earliest epigenetic regulators required for reprogramming. We identify components of the SAGA histone acetyltransferase complex, in particular Gcn5, as critical regulators of reprogramming initiation. Furthermore, we show in mouse pluripotent stem cells that Gcn5 strongly associates with Myc and that upon initiation of somatic reprogramming, Gcn5 and Myc form a positive feed forward loop that activates a distinct alternative splicing network and the early acquisition of pluripotency-associated splicing events. These studies expose a Myc-SAGA pathway that drives expression of an essential alternative splicing regulatory network during somatic cell reprogramming. Examination of Myc-chromatin interactions in reprogramming cells
Project description:Embryonic stem cells are maintained in a self-renewing and pluripotent state by multiple regulatory pathways. Pluripotent-specific transcriptional networks are sequentially reactivated as somatic cells reprogram to achieve pluripotency. How epigenetic regulators modulate this process and contribute to somatic cell reprogramming is not clear. Here we perform a functional RNAi screen to identify the earliest epigenetic regulators required for reprogramming. We identify components of the SAGA histone acetyltransferase complex, in particular Gcn5, as critical regulators of reprogramming initiation. Furthermore, we show in mouse pluripotent stem cells that Gcn5 strongly associates with Myc and that upon initiation of somatic reprogramming, Gcn5 and Myc form a positive feed forward loop that activates a distinct alternative splicing network and the early acquisition of pluripotency-associated splicing events. These studies expose a Myc-SAGA pathway that drives expression of an essential alternative splicing regulatory network during somatic cell reprogramming. Examination of 2 Gcn5-chromatin interactions in mouse embryonic stem cells
Project description:This SuperSeries is composed of the following subset Series: GSE23513: Position-dependent alternative splicing activity revealed by global profiling of alternative splicing events regulated by PTB (HJAY) GSE23514: Position-dependent alternative splicing activity revealed by global profiling of alternative splicing events regulated by PTB (Exon array) Refer to individual Series
Project description:The Cell Division Cycle and Apoptosis Regulator (CCAR) protein family members have recently emerged as regulators of alternative splicing and transcription, as well as having other key physiological functions. For example, mammalian CCAR2/DBC1 forms a complex with the zinc factor protein ZNF326 to integrate alternative splicing with RNA polymerase II transcriptional elongation in AT-rich regions of the DNA. Additionally, Caenorhabditis elegans CCAR-1, a homolog to mammalian CCAR2, facilitates the alternative splicing of the perlecan unc-52 gene. However, much about the CCAR family's role in alternative splicing is unknown. We are interested in uncovering the role of the CCAR family in alternative splicing in vivo using Caenorhabditis elegans. We examined the role of CCAR-1 in genome-wide alternative splicing and identified new alternative splicing targets of CCAR-1 using RNA sequencing. Also, we found that CCAR-1 interacts with the spliceosome factors UAF-1 and UAF-2 using mass spectrometry, and that knockdown of ccar-1 affects alternative splicing patterns, motility, and proteostasis of UAF-1 mutant worms. Collectively, we demonstrate a role for CCAR-1 in the regulation of global alternative splicing in C. elegans and in conjunction with UAF-1
Project description:Alternative splicing (AS) generates transcript variants by the definition of different exonic and intronic regions and causes a massive expansion of transcriptome diversity. Changes in AS patterns have been found to be linked to manifold biological processes, yet fundamental aspects such as the regulation of AS and the functional implications of altered AS programs largely remain to be addressed. In this work, widespread AS regulation by Arabidopsis Polypyrimidine tract-binding protein homologues (AtPTBs) was revealed. In total 452 AS events derived from 308 distinct genes were found to be responsive to the levels of the splicing factors AtPTB1 and AtPTB2, which predominantly triggered splicing of regulated introns, inclusion of cassette exons, and usage of upstream 5' splice sites. In contrast, alternative 3' splice site events were strongly underrepresented among the AtPTB1/2 targets and no major AS regulatory function of the distantly related AtPTB3 was found. Dependent on their position within the mRNA, AtPTB-regulated events can both modify the untranslated regions and give rise to alternative protein products. Gene ontology analysis revealed a connection of AtPTB-mediated AS control with diverse biological processes, and the functional implications of selected AS events were further elucidated in the context of seed germination and flowering time control. Specifically, AtPTB misexpression changes AS of the PHYTOCHROME INTERACTING FACTOR 6 (PIF6) pre-mRNA, coinciding with altered rates of abscisic acid-dependent seed germination. Furthermore, AS patterns as well as the expression of key flowering regulators were massively changed in an AtPTB1/2 level-dependent manner. In conclusion, our work has revealed widespread AS regulatory functions of the AtPTB splicing factors with important functional implications in various fundamental processes of Arabidopsis development. Analysis of alternative splicing patterns in plants with increased and decreased levels of the 3 Arabidopsis Polypyrimidine-tract binding protein homologues in comparison to wild type samples, determined in duplicates