Project description:RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) modulate alternative splicing outcomes to determine isoform expression and cellular survival. To identify RBPs that directly drive alternative exon inclusion, we evaluated 718 human RBPs with tethered function luciferase-based splicing reporter assays to identify 58 candidates, including known splicing factors such as RBFOX and serine-arginine proteins. We performed enhanced CLIP, RNA-seq, and affinity purification-mass spectrometry to investigate a subset of the 11 candidates with no prior association with splicing. Integrative analysis of these assays indicated the surprising roles of TRNAU1AP, SCAF8, and RTCA in modulating hundreds of endogenous splicing events. We also leveraged our tethering assays and top candidates to identify potent and compact exon inclusion activation domains for splicing modulation applications. Using identified domains, we engineered programmable fusion proteins which outperformed current artificial splicing factors at manipulating inclusion of reporter and endogenous exons. Altogether, our tethering approach characterized the ability of RBPs to induce exon inclusion and yielded new molecular parts for programmable splicing control.
Project description:RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) modulate alternative splicing outcomes to determine isoform expression and cellular survival. To identify RBPs that directly drive alternative exon inclusion, we evaluated 718 human RBPs with tethered function luciferase-based splicing reporter assays to identify 58 candidates, including known splicing factors such as RBFOX and serine-arginine proteins. We performed enhanced CLIP, RNA-seq, and affinity purification-mass spectrometry to investigate a subset of the 11 candidates with no prior association with splicing. Integrative analysis of these assays indicated the surprising roles of TRNAU1AP, SCAF8, and RTCA in modulating hundreds of endogenous splicing events. We also leveraged our tethering assays and top candidates to identify potent and compact exon inclusion activation domains for splicing modulation applications. Using identified domains, we engineered programmable fusion proteins which outperformed current artificial splicing factors at manipulating inclusion of reporter and endogenous exons. Altogether, our tethering approach characterized the ability of RBPs to induce exon inclusion and yielded new molecular parts for programmable splicing control.
Project description:We analyze the effect of a double deletion mutant for alternative-splicing regulators nsra and nsrb (Nuclear Speckle RNA binding proteins), on the Arabidopsis thaliana transcriptome.
Project description:We analyze the effect of a double deletion mutant for alternative-splicing regulators nsra and nsrb (Nuclear Speckle RNA binding proteins), on the Arabidopsis thaliana transcriptome.
Project description:We analyze the effect of a double deletion mutant for alternative-splicing regulators nsra and nsrb (Nuclear Speckle RNA binding proteins), on the Arabidopsis thaliana transcriptome. RNA-seq experiments (polyA+ RNA) in triplicates for each condition WT and nsrab mutants.
Project description:Mammalian SR proteins are a family of reversibly phosphorylated RNA binding proteins primarily studied for their roles in alternative splicing. While budding yeast lack alternative splicing, they do have three SR-like proteins: Npl3, Gbp2, and Hrb1. However, these have been primarily studied for their roles in mRNA export, leaving their potential roles in splicing largely unexplored. Here we combined high-density genetic interaction profiling and genome-wide splicing-sensitive microarray analysis to demonstrate that a single SR-like protein, Npl3, is required for efficient splicing of a large set of pre-mRNAs in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We tested the hypothesis that Npl3 promotes splicing by facilitating co-transcriptional recruitment of splicing factors. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation, we showed that mutation of NPL3 reduces the occupancy of U1 and U2 snRNPs at Npl3-stimulated genes. This provides the first evidence that an SR protein can promote recruitment of splicing factors to chromatin.
Project description:Previous investigations of the core gene regulatory circuitry that controls embryonic stem cell (ESC) pluripotency have largely focused on the roles of transcription, chromatin and non- coding RNA regulators. Alternative splicing (AS) represents a widely acting mode of gene regulation, yet its role in the regulation of ESC pluripotency and differentiation is poorly understood. Here, we identify the Muscleblind-like RNA binding proteins, MBNL1 and MBNL2, as conserved and direct negative regulators of a large program of AS events that are differentially regulated between ESCs and other cell types. Knockdown of MBNL proteins in differentiated cells causes switching to an ESC-like AS pattern for at least half of these AS events. Among the events is an ESC-specific AS switch in the forkhead family transcription factor FOXP1 that controls pluripotency. Consistent with a central and negative regulatory role for MBNL proteins in pluripotency, their knockdown significantly enhances the expression of key pluripotency genes and the formation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) during somatic cell reprogramming. mRNA profiles of various embryonic stem cells, tissues and cell lines from human and mouse using high-throughput sequencing data and the role of MBNL proteins in regulation of ESC-differential alternative splicing