Networking in a global world: Establishing functional connections between neural splicing regulators and their target transcripts

作者：Calarco John A^*; Zhen Mei; Blencowe Benjamin J

来源：RNA-A Publication of the RNA Society, 2011, 17(5): 775-791.

DOI：10.1261/rna.2603911

• alternative splicing
• RNA processing
• gene regulation
• genome-wide analysis

Recent genome-wide analyses have indicated that almost all primary transcripts from multi-exon human genes undergo alternative pre-mRNA splicing (AS). Given the prevalence of AS and its importance in expanding proteomic complexity, a major challenge that lies ahead is to determine the functional specificity of isoforms in a cellular context. A significant fraction of alternatively spliced transcripts are regulated in a tissue-or cell-type-specific manner, suggesting that these mRNA variants likely function in the generation of cellular diversity. Complementary to these observations, several tissue-specific splicing factors have been identified, and a number of methodological advances have enabled the identification of large repertoires of target transcripts regulated by these proteins. An emerging theme is that tissue-specific splicing factors regulate coherent sets of splice variants in genes known to function in related biological pathways. This review focuses on the recent progress in our understanding of neural-specific splicing factors and their regulatory networks and outlines existing and emerging strategies for uncovering important biological roles for the isoforms that comprise these networks.

• 出版日期2011-5