1
|
Chen S, Zhang Y, Liu L, Mo Y, Li J, Chen B, Zhou Y, Lin J, Jiang X, Wei L, Ling Y. Transcription and splicing variations of SR genes accompany with genome-wide accumulation of long-introns in pine. PLANT SCIENCE : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PLANT BIOLOGY 2024; 342:112056. [PMID: 38438082 DOI: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2024.112056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2023] [Revised: 02/04/2024] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/06/2024]
Abstract
Most of mRNAs in Eukaryote were matured after the removal of introns in their pre-mRNA transcripts. Serine/arginine-rich (SR) proteins are a group of splicing regulators regulating the splicing processes globally. Expressions of SR proteins themselves were extensively regulated, at both transcription and splicing levels, under different environmental conditions, specially heat stress conditions. The pine genome is characterized by super-long and easily methylated introns in a large number of genes that derived from the extensive accumulation of transposons (TEs). Here, we identified and analyzed the phylogenetic characteristics of 24 SR proteins and their encoding genes from the pine genome. Then we explored transcription and pre-mRNA splicing expression patterns of SR genes in P. massoniana seedlings under normal and heat stress temperature conditions. Our results showed that the transcription patterns of SR genes in pine exhibited significant changes compared to other plant species, and these changes were not strictly correlated with the intron length and DNA methylation intensity of the SR genes. Interestingly, none of the long introns of SR genes underwent alternative splicing (AS) in our experiment. Furthermore, the intensity of AS regulation may be related to the potential DNA methylation intensity of SR genes. Taken together, this study explores for the first time the characteristics of significant variations in the transcription and splicing patterns of SR proteins in a plant species with an over-accumulation of super-long introns.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shanlan Chen
- College of Coastal Agricultural Sciences, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China
| | - Yingjie Zhang
- College of Coastal Agricultural Sciences, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China
| | - Li Liu
- College of Coastal Agricultural Sciences, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China
| | - Yujian Mo
- College of Coastal Agricultural Sciences, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China
| | - Junyi Li
- College of Coastal Agricultural Sciences, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China
| | - Beibei Chen
- College of Coastal Agricultural Sciences, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China
| | - Yi Zhou
- Guangdong Academy of Forestry/Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Silviculture, Protection and Utilization/Guangdong Coastal Shelter-belt Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station Guangzhou, Guangdong 510520, China
| | - Jinxing Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Xingyu Jiang
- College of Coastal Agricultural Sciences, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China; South China Branch of National Saline-Alkali Tolerant Rice Technology Innovation Center, Zhanjiang 524088, China
| | - Long Wei
- Guangdong Academy of Forestry/Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Silviculture, Protection and Utilization/Guangdong Coastal Shelter-belt Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station Guangzhou, Guangdong 510520, China.
| | - Yu Ling
- College of Coastal Agricultural Sciences, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China; South China Branch of National Saline-Alkali Tolerant Rice Technology Innovation Center, Zhanjiang 524088, China.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Dwivedi SL, Quiroz LF, Reddy ASN, Spillane C, Ortiz R. Alternative Splicing Variation: Accessing and Exploiting in Crop Improvement Programs. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:15205. [PMID: 37894886 PMCID: PMC10607462 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242015205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2023] [Revised: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Alternative splicing (AS) is a gene regulatory mechanism modulating gene expression in multiple ways. AS is prevalent in all eukaryotes including plants. AS generates two or more mRNAs from the precursor mRNA (pre-mRNA) to regulate transcriptome complexity and proteome diversity. Advances in next-generation sequencing, omics technology, bioinformatics tools, and computational methods provide new opportunities to quantify and visualize AS-based quantitative trait variation associated with plant growth, development, reproduction, and stress tolerance. Domestication, polyploidization, and environmental perturbation may evolve novel splicing variants associated with agronomically beneficial traits. To date, pre-mRNAs from many genes are spliced into multiple transcripts that cause phenotypic variation for complex traits, both in model plant Arabidopsis and field crops. Cataloguing and exploiting such variation may provide new paths to enhance climate resilience, resource-use efficiency, productivity, and nutritional quality of staple food crops. This review provides insights into AS variation alongside a gene expression analysis to select for novel phenotypic diversity for use in breeding programs. AS contributes to heterosis, enhances plant symbiosis (mycorrhiza and rhizobium), and provides a mechanistic link between the core clock genes and diverse environmental clues.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Luis Felipe Quiroz
- Agriculture and Bioeconomy Research Centre, Ryan Institute, University of Galway, University Road, H91 REW4 Galway, Ireland
| | - Anireddy S N Reddy
- Department of Biology and Program in Cell and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Charles Spillane
- Agriculture and Bioeconomy Research Centre, Ryan Institute, University of Galway, University Road, H91 REW4 Galway, Ireland
| | - Rodomiro Ortiz
- Department of Plant Breeding, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 23053 Alnarp, SE, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Chen S, Mo Y, Zhang Y, Zhu H, Ling Y. Insights into sweet potato SR proteins: from evolution to species-specific expression and alternative splicing. PLANTA 2022; 256:72. [PMID: 36083517 DOI: 10.1007/s00425-022-03965-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
SR proteins from sweet potato have conserved functional domains and similar gene structures as that of Arabidopsis and rice in general. However, expression patterns and alternative splicing regulations of SR genes from different species have changed under stresses. Novel alternative splicing regulations were found in sweet potato SR genes. Serine/arginine-rich (SR) proteins play important roles in plant development and stress response by regulating the pre-mRNA splicing process. However, SR proteins have not been identified so far from an important crop sweet potato. Through bioinformatics analysis, our study identified 24 SR proteins from sweet potato, with comprehensively analyzing of protein characteristics, gene structure, chromosome localization, and cis-acting elements in promotors. Salt, heat, and mimic drought stresses triggered extensive but different expressional regulations on sweet potato SR genes. Interestingly, heat stress caused the most active disturbances in both gene transcription and pre-mRNA alternative splicing (AS). Tissue and species-specific transcriptional and pre-mRNA AS regulations in response to stresses were found in sweet potato, in comparison with Arabidopsis and rice. Moreover, novel patterns of pre-mRNA alternative splicing were found in SR proteins from sweet potato. Our study provided an insight into similarities and differences of SR proteins in different plant species from gene sequences to gene structures and stress responses, indicating SR proteins may regulate their downstream genes differently between different species and tissues by varied transcriptional and pre-mRNA AS regulations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shanlan Chen
- College of Coastal Agricultural Sciences, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, 524088, People's Republic of China
| | - Yujian Mo
- College of Coastal Agricultural Sciences, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, 524088, People's Republic of China
| | - Yingjie Zhang
- College of Coastal Agricultural Sciences, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, 524088, People's Republic of China
| | - Hongbao Zhu
- College of Coastal Agricultural Sciences, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, 524088, People's Republic of China
| | - Yu Ling
- College of Coastal Agricultural Sciences, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, 524088, People's Republic of China.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Rosenkranz RRE, Ullrich S, Löchli K, Simm S, Fragkostefanakis S. Relevance and Regulation of Alternative Splicing in Plant Heat Stress Response: Current Understanding and Future Directions. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:911277. [PMID: 35812973 PMCID: PMC9260394 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.911277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2022] [Accepted: 05/26/2022] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Alternative splicing (AS) is a major mechanism for gene expression in eukaryotes, increasing proteome diversity but also regulating transcriptome abundance. High temperatures have a strong impact on the splicing profile of many genes and therefore AS is considered as an integral part of heat stress response. While many studies have established a detailed description of the diversity of the RNAome under heat stress in different plant species and stress regimes, little is known on the underlying mechanisms that control this temperature-sensitive process. AS is mainly regulated by the activity of splicing regulators. Changes in the abundance of these proteins through transcription and AS, post-translational modifications and interactions with exonic and intronic cis-elements and core elements of the spliceosomes modulate the outcome of pre-mRNA splicing. As a major part of pre-mRNAs are spliced co-transcriptionally, the chromatin environment along with the RNA polymerase II elongation play a major role in the regulation of pre-mRNA splicing under heat stress conditions. Despite its importance, our understanding on the regulation of heat stress sensitive AS in plants is scarce. In this review, we summarize the current status of knowledge on the regulation of AS in plants under heat stress conditions. We discuss possible implications of different pathways based on results from non-plant systems to provide a perspective for researchers who aim to elucidate the molecular basis of AS under high temperatures.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Sarah Ullrich
- Molecular Cell Biology of Plants, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Karin Löchli
- Molecular Cell Biology of Plants, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Stefan Simm
- Institute of Bioinformatics, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | | |
Collapse
|
5
|
Ding F, Su CJ, Edmonds KK, Liang G, Elowitz MB. Dynamics and functional roles of splicing factor autoregulation. Cell Rep 2022; 39:110985. [PMID: 35732114 PMCID: PMC9262138 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Revised: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Non-core spliceosome components are essential, conserved regulators of alternative splicing. They provide concentration-dependent control of diverse pre-mRNAs. Many splicing factors direct unproductive splicing of their own pre-mRNAs through negative autoregulation. However, the impact of such feedback loops on splicing dynamics at the single-cell level remains unclear. Here, we developed a system to quantitatively analyze negative autoregulatory splicing dynamics by splicing factor SRSF1 in response to perturbations in single HEK293 cells. We show that negative autoregulatory splicing provides critical functions for gene regulation, establishing a ceiling of SRSF1 protein concentration, reducing cell-cell heterogeneity in SRSF1 levels, and buffering variation in transcription. Most important, it adapts SRSF1 splicing activity to variations in demand from other pre-mRNA substrates. A minimal mathematical model of autoregulatory splicing explains these experimentally observed features and provides values for effective biochemical parameters. These results reveal the unique functional roles that splicing negative autoregulation plays in homeostatically regulating transcriptional programs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fangyuan Ding
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA; Center for Synthetic Biology, Center for Complex Biological Systems, Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, and Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA.
| | - Christina J Su
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - KeHuan Kuo Edmonds
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Guohao Liang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Michael B Elowitz
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Lan W, Qiu Y, Xu Y, Liu Y, Miao Y. Ubiquitination and Ubiquitin-Like Modifications as Mediators of Alternative Pre-mRNA Splicing in Arabidopsis thaliana. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:869870. [PMID: 35646014 PMCID: PMC9134077 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.869870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2022] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Alternative splicing (AS) is a common post-transcriptional regulatory process in eukaryotes. AS has an irreplaceable role during plant development and in response to environmental stress as it evokes differential expression of downstream genes or splicing factors (e.g., serine/arginine-rich proteins). Numerous studies have reported that loss of AS capacity leads to defects in plant growth and development, and induction of stress-sensitive phenotypes. A role for post-translational modification (PTM) of AS components has emerged in recent years. These modifications are capable of regulating the activity, stability, localization, interaction, and folding of spliceosomal proteins in human cells and yeast, indicating that PTMs represent another layer of AS regulation. In this review, we summarize the recent reports concerning ubiquitin and ubiquitin-like modification of spliceosome components and analyze the relationship between spliceosome and the ubiquitin/26S proteasome pathway in plants. Based on the totality of the evidence presented, we further speculate on the roles of protein ubiquitination mediated AS in plant development and environmental response.
Collapse
|
7
|
Li Y, Di P, Tan J, Chen W, Chen J, Chen W. Alternative Splicing Dynamics During the Lifecycle of Salvia miltiorrhiza Root Revealed the Fine Tuning in Root Development and Ingredients Biosynthesis. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 12:797697. [PMID: 35126423 PMCID: PMC8813970 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.797697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Alternative splicing (AS) is an essential post-transcriptional process that enhances the coding and regulatory potential of the genome, thereby strongly influencing multiple plant physiology processes, such as metabolic biosynthesis. To explore how AS affects the root development and synthesis of tanshinones and phenolic acid pathways in Salvia miltiorrhiza roots, we investigated the dynamic landscape of AS events in S. miltiorrhiza roots during an annual life history. Temporal profiling represented a distinct temporal variation of AS during the entire development stages, showing the most abundant AS events at the early seedling stage (ES stage) and troughs in 45 days after germination (DAG) and 120 DAG. Gene ontology (GO) analysis indicated that physiological and molecular events, such as lateral root formation, gravity response, RNA splicing regulation, and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade, were greatly affected by AS at the ES stage. AS events were identified in the tanshinones and phenolic acids pathways as well, especially for the genes for the branch points of the pathways as SmRAS and SmKSL1. Fifteen Ser/Arg-rich (SR) proteins and eight phosphokinases (PKs) were identified with high transcription levels at the ES stage, showing their regulatory roles for the high frequency of AS in this stage. Simultaneously, a co-expression network that includes 521 highly expressed AS genes, SRs, and PKs, provides deeper insight into the mechanism for the variable programming of AS.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yajing Li
- Department of Pharmacy, Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
- Center of Chinese Traditional Medicine Resources and Biotechnology, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Peng Di
- State Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Ginseng Breeding and Application, College of Chinese Medicinal Materials, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China
| | - Jingfu Tan
- Shangyao Huayu (Linyi) Traditional Chinese Resources Co. Ltd., Linyi, China
| | - Weixu Chen
- Shangyao Huayu (Linyi) Traditional Chinese Resources Co. Ltd., Linyi, China
| | - Junfeng Chen
- Center of Chinese Traditional Medicine Resources and Biotechnology, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Wansheng Chen
- Department of Pharmacy, Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
- Center of Chinese Traditional Medicine Resources and Biotechnology, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Yan X, Bai D, Song H, Lin K, Pang E. Alternative splicing during fruit development among fleshy fruits. BMC Genomics 2021; 22:762. [PMID: 34702184 PMCID: PMC8547070 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-021-08111-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alternative splicing (AS) is an important mechanism of posttranscriptional modification and dynamically regulates multiple physiological processes in plants, including fruit ripening. However, little is known about alternative splicing during fruit development in fleshy fruits. RESULTS We studied the alternative splicing at the immature and ripe stages during fruit development in cucumber, melon, papaya and peach. We found that 14.96-17.48% of multiexon genes exhibited alternative splicing. Intron retention was not always the most frequent event, indicating that the alternative splicing pattern during different developmental process differs. Alternative splicing was significantly more prevalent at the ripe stage than at the immature stage in cucumber and melon, while the opposite trend was shown in papaya and peach, implying that developmental stages adopt different alternative splicing strategies for their specific functions. Some genes involved in fruit ripening underwent stage-specific alternative splicing, indicating that alternative splicing regulates fruits ripening. Conserved alternative splicing events did not appear to be stage-specific. Clustering fruit developmental stages across the four species based on alternative splicing profiles resulted in species-specific clustering, suggesting that diversification of alternative splicing contributes to lineage-specific evolution in fleshy fruits. CONCLUSIONS We obtained high quality transcriptomes and alternative splicing events during fruit development across the four species. Dynamics and nonconserved alternative splicing were discovered. The candidate stage-specific AS genes involved in fruit ripening will provide valuable insight into the roles of alternative splicing during the developmental processes of fleshy fruits.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaomin Yan
- MOE Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering and Beijing Key Laboratory of Gene Resource and Molecular Development, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, No 19 Xinjiekouwai Street, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Dan Bai
- MOE Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering and Beijing Key Laboratory of Gene Resource and Molecular Development, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, No 19 Xinjiekouwai Street, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Hongtao Song
- MOE Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering and Beijing Key Laboratory of Gene Resource and Molecular Development, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, No 19 Xinjiekouwai Street, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Kui Lin
- MOE Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering and Beijing Key Laboratory of Gene Resource and Molecular Development, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, No 19 Xinjiekouwai Street, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Erli Pang
- MOE Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering and Beijing Key Laboratory of Gene Resource and Molecular Development, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, No 19 Xinjiekouwai Street, Beijing, 100875, China.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Fuchs A, Riegler S, Ayatollahi Z, Cavallari N, Giono LE, Nimeth BA, Mutanwad KV, Schweighofer A, Lucyshyn D, Barta A, Petrillo E, Kalyna M. Targeting alternative splicing by RNAi: from the differential impact on splice variants to triggering artificial pre-mRNA splicing. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:1133-1151. [PMID: 33406240 PMCID: PMC7826280 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaa1260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2018] [Revised: 12/08/2020] [Accepted: 12/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Alternative splicing generates multiple transcript and protein isoforms from a single gene and controls transcript intracellular localization and stability by coupling to mRNA export and nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD). RNA interference (RNAi) is a potent mechanism to modulate gene expression. However, its interactions with alternative splicing are poorly understood. We used artificial microRNAs (amiRNAs, also termed shRNAmiR) to knockdown all splice variants of selected target genes in Arabidopsis thaliana. We found that splice variants, which vary by their protein-coding capacity, subcellular localization and sensitivity to NMD, are affected differentially by an amiRNA, although all of them contain the target site. Particular transcript isoforms escape amiRNA-mediated degradation due to their nuclear localization. The nuclear and NMD-sensitive isoforms mask RNAi action in alternatively spliced genes. Interestingly, Arabidopsis SPL genes, which undergo alternative splicing and are targets of miR156, are regulated in the same manner. Moreover, similar results were obtained in mammalian cells using siRNAs, indicating cross-kingdom conservation of these interactions among RNAi and splicing isoforms. Furthermore, we report that amiRNA can trigger artificial alternative splicing, thus expanding the RNAi functional repertoire. Our findings unveil novel interactions between different post-transcriptional processes in defining transcript fates and regulating gene expression.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Armin Fuchs
- Max Perutz Labs, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna 1030, Austria
| | - Stefan Riegler
- Max Perutz Labs, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna 1030, Austria.,Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Vienna 1190, Austria
| | - Zahra Ayatollahi
- Max Perutz Labs, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna 1030, Austria
| | - Nicola Cavallari
- Max Perutz Labs, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna 1030, Austria
| | - Luciana E Giono
- Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias (IFIBYNE), CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires, C1428EHA, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Barbara A Nimeth
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Vienna 1190, Austria
| | - Krishna V Mutanwad
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Vienna 1190, Austria
| | | | - Doris Lucyshyn
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Vienna 1190, Austria
| | - Andrea Barta
- Max Perutz Labs, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna 1030, Austria
| | - Ezequiel Petrillo
- Max Perutz Labs, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna 1030, Austria.,Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias (IFIBYNE), CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires, C1428EHA, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Maria Kalyna
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Vienna 1190, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Rosenkranz RRE, Bachiri S, Vraggalas S, Keller M, Simm S, Schleiff E, Fragkostefanakis S. Identification and Regulation of Tomato Serine/Arginine-Rich Proteins Under High Temperatures. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:645689. [PMID: 33854522 PMCID: PMC8039515 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.645689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Alternative splicing is an important mechanism for the regulation of gene expression in eukaryotes during development, cell differentiation or stress response. Alterations in the splicing profiles of genes under high temperatures that cause heat stress (HS) can impact the maintenance of cellular homeostasis and thermotolerance. Consequently, information on factors involved in HS-sensitive alternative splicing is required to formulate the principles of HS response. Serine/arginine-rich (SR) proteins have a central role in alternative splicing. We aimed for the identification and characterization of SR-coding genes in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), a plant extensively used in HS studies. We identified 17 canonical SR and two SR-like genes. Several SR-coding genes show differential expression and altered splicing profiles in different organs as well as in response to HS. The transcriptional induction of five SR and one SR-like genes is partially dependent on the master regulator of HS response, HS transcription factor HsfA1a. Cis-elements in the promoters of these SR genes were predicted, which can be putatively recognized by HS-induced transcription factors. Further, transiently expressed SRs show reduced or steady-state protein levels in response to HS. Thus, the levels of SRs under HS are regulated by changes in transcription, alternative splicing and protein stability. We propose that the accumulation or reduction of SRs under HS can impact temperature-sensitive alternative splicing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Remus R. E. Rosenkranz
- Department of Biosciences, Molecular Cell Biology of Plants, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Samia Bachiri
- Department of Biosciences, Molecular Cell Biology of Plants, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Stavros Vraggalas
- Department of Biosciences, Molecular Cell Biology of Plants, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Mario Keller
- Department of Biosciences, Molecular Cell Biology of Plants, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Stefan Simm
- Institute of Bioinformatics, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Enrico Schleiff
- Department of Biosciences, Molecular Cell Biology of Plants, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Frankfurt Institute of Advanced Studies, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- *Correspondence: Enrico Schleiff
| | - Sotirios Fragkostefanakis
- Department of Biosciences, Molecular Cell Biology of Plants, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Sotirios Fragkostefanakis
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Yu K, Feng M, Yang G, Sun L, Qin Z, Cao J, Wen J, Li H, Zhou Y, Chen X, Peng H, Yao Y, Hu Z, Guo W, Sun Q, Ni Z, Adams K, Xin M. Changes in Alternative Splicing in Response to Domestication and Polyploidization in Wheat. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2020; 184:1955-1968. [PMID: 33051269 PMCID: PMC7723095 DOI: 10.1104/pp.20.00773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2020] [Accepted: 10/04/2020] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Alternative splicing (AS) occurs extensively in eukaryotes as an important mechanism for regulating transcriptome complexity and proteome diversity, but variation in the AS landscape in response to domestication and polyploidization in crops is unclear. Hexaploid wheat (AABBDD, Triticum aestivum) has undergone two separate allopolyploidization events, providing an ideal model for studying AS changes during domestication and polyploidization events. In this study, we performed high-throughput transcriptome sequencing of roots and leaves from wheat species with varied ploidies, including wild diploids (AbAb, Triticum boeoticum) and tetraploids (AABB, Triticum dicoccoides), domesticated diploids (AmAm, Triticum monococcum) and tetraploids (AABB, Triticum dicoccum), hexaploid wheat (AABBDD, T aestivum), as well as newly synthesized hexaploids together with their parents. Approximately 22.1% of genes exhibited AS, with the major AS type being intron retention. The number of AS events decreased after domestication in both diploids and tetraploids. Moreover, the frequency of AS occurrence tended to decrease after polyploidization, consistent with the functional sharing model that proposes AS and duplicated genes are complementary in regulating transcriptome plasticity in polyploid crops. In addition, the subgenomes exhibited biased AS responses to polyploidization, and ∼87.1% of homeologs showed AS partitioning in hexaploid wheat. Interestingly, substitution of the D-subgenome modified 42.8% of AS patterns of the A- and B-subgenomes, indicating subgenome interplay reprograms AS profiles at a genome-wide level, although the causal-consequence relationship requires further study. Conclusively, our study shows that AS variation occurs extensively after polyploidization and domestication in wheat species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kuohai Yu
- Key Laboratory of Crop Heterosis Utilization, State Key Laboratory for Agrobiotechnology, Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Man Feng
- Key Laboratory of Crop Heterosis Utilization, State Key Laboratory for Agrobiotechnology, Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Guanghui Yang
- Key Laboratory of Crop Heterosis Utilization, State Key Laboratory for Agrobiotechnology, Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Lv Sun
- Key Laboratory of Crop Heterosis Utilization, State Key Laboratory for Agrobiotechnology, Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Zhen Qin
- Key Laboratory of Crop Heterosis Utilization, State Key Laboratory for Agrobiotechnology, Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Jie Cao
- Key Laboratory of Crop Heterosis Utilization, State Key Laboratory for Agrobiotechnology, Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Jingjing Wen
- Key Laboratory of Crop Heterosis Utilization, State Key Laboratory for Agrobiotechnology, Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Haoran Li
- Key Laboratory of Crop Heterosis Utilization, State Key Laboratory for Agrobiotechnology, Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Yan Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Crop Heterosis Utilization, State Key Laboratory for Agrobiotechnology, Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Xiangping Chen
- Key Laboratory of Crop Heterosis Utilization, State Key Laboratory for Agrobiotechnology, Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Huiru Peng
- Key Laboratory of Crop Heterosis Utilization, State Key Laboratory for Agrobiotechnology, Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Yingyin Yao
- Key Laboratory of Crop Heterosis Utilization, State Key Laboratory for Agrobiotechnology, Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Zhaorong Hu
- Key Laboratory of Crop Heterosis Utilization, State Key Laboratory for Agrobiotechnology, Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Weilong Guo
- Key Laboratory of Crop Heterosis Utilization, State Key Laboratory for Agrobiotechnology, Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Qixin Sun
- Key Laboratory of Crop Heterosis Utilization, State Key Laboratory for Agrobiotechnology, Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Zhongfu Ni
- Key Laboratory of Crop Heterosis Utilization, State Key Laboratory for Agrobiotechnology, Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Keith Adams
- Botany Department, University of British Columbia, Vancouver V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Mingming Xin
- Key Laboratory of Crop Heterosis Utilization, State Key Laboratory for Agrobiotechnology, Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Chen MX, Zhu FY, Gao B, Ma KL, Zhang Y, Fernie AR, Chen X, Dai L, Ye NH, Zhang X, Tian Y, Zhang D, Xiao S, Zhang J, Liu YG. Full-Length Transcript-Based Proteogenomics of Rice Improves Its Genome and Proteome Annotation. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2020; 182:1510-1526. [PMID: 31857423 PMCID: PMC7054881 DOI: 10.1104/pp.19.00430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2019] [Accepted: 11/26/2019] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Rice (Oryza sativa) molecular breeding has gained considerable attention in recent years, but inaccurate genome annotation hampers its progress and functional studies of the rice genome. In this study, we applied single-molecule long-read RNA sequencing (lrRNA_seq)-based proteogenomics to reveal the complexity of the rice transcriptome and its coding abilities. Surprisingly, approximately 60% of loci identified by lrRNA_seq are associated with natural antisense transcripts (NATs). The high-density genomic arrangement of NAT genes suggests their potential roles in the multifaceted control of gene expression. In addition, a large number of fusion and intergenic transcripts have been observed. Furthermore, 906,456 transcript isoforms were identified, and 72.9% of the genes can generate splicing isoforms. A total of 706,075 posttranscriptional events were subsequently categorized into 10 subtypes, demonstrating the interdependence of posttranscriptional mechanisms that contribute to transcriptome diversity. Parallel short-read RNA sequencing indicated that lrRNA_seq has a superior capacity for the identification of longer transcripts. In addition, over 190,000 unique peptides belonging to 9,706 proteoforms/protein groups were identified, expanding the diversity of the rice proteome. Our findings indicate that the genome organization, transcriptome diversity, and coding potential of the rice transcriptome are far more complex than previously anticipated.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mo-Xian Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Life Science, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian 271000, Shandong, China
- Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, People’s Republic of China
| | - Fu-Yuan Zhu
- Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Biology and the Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
| | - Bei Gao
- School of Life Sciences, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | - Kai-Long Ma
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, People’s Republic of China
| | - Youjun Zhang
- Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany
- Center of Plant Systems Biology and Biotechnology, 4000 Plovdiv, Bulgaria
| | - Alisdair R. Fernie
- Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany
- Center of Plant Systems Biology and Biotechnology, 4000 Plovdiv, Bulgaria
| | - Xi Chen
- SpecAlly Life Technology Co., Ltd., Wuhan 430075, China
| | - Lei Dai
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
| | - Neng-Hui Ye
- School of Life Sciences, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | - Xue Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
| | - Yuan Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Life Science, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian 271000, Shandong, China
| | - Di Zhang
- School of Life Sciences, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | - Shi Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
| | - Jianhua Zhang
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, and State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | - Ying-Gao Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Life Science, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian 271000, Shandong, China
- Author for Contact:
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Melo JP, Kalyna M, Duque P. Current Challenges in Studying Alternative Splicing in Plants: The Case of Physcomitrella patens SR Proteins. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2020; 11:286. [PMID: 32265953 PMCID: PMC7105729 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.00286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2019] [Accepted: 02/26/2020] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
To colonize different terrestrial habitats, early land plants had to overcome the challenge of coping with harsh new environments. Alternative splicing - an RNA processing mechanism through which splice sites are differentially recognized, originating multiple transcripts and potentially different proteins from the same gene - can be key for plant stress tolerance. Serine/arginine-rich (SR) proteins constitute an evolutionarily conserved family of major alternative splicing regulators that in plants subdivides into six subfamilies. Despite being well studied in animals and a few plant species, such as the model angiosperm Arabidopsis thaliana and the crop Oryza sativa, little is known of these splicing factors in early land plants. Establishing the whole complement of SR proteins in different species is essential to understand the functional and evolutionary significance of alternative splicing. An in silico search for SR proteins in the extant moss Physcomitrella patens revealed inconsistencies both in the published data and available databases, likely arising from automatic annotation lacking adequate manual curation. These misannotations interfere with the description not only of the number and subfamily classification of Physcomitrella SR proteins but also of their domain architecture, potentially hindering the elucidation of their molecular functions. We therefore advise caution when looking into P. patens genomic resources. Our systematic survey nonetheless confidently identified 16 P. patens SR proteins that fall into the six described subfamilies and represent counterparts of well-established members in Arabidopsis and rice. Intensified research efforts should disclose whether SR proteins were already determining alternative splicing modulation and stress tolerance in early land plants.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Maria Kalyna
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, BOKU – University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
- *Correspondence: Maria Kalyna,
| | - Paula Duque
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência (IGC), Oeiras, Portugal
- Paula Duque,
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Gu J, Ma S, Zhang Y, Wang D, Cao S, Wang ZY. Genome-Wide Identification of Cassava Serine/Arginine-Rich Proteins: Insights into Alternative Splicing of Pre-mRNAs and Response to Abiotic Stress. PLANT & CELL PHYSIOLOGY 2020; 61:178-191. [PMID: 31596482 DOI: 10.1093/pcp/pcz190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2019] [Accepted: 09/26/2019] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Serine/arginine-rich (SR) proteins have an essential role in the splicing of pre-messenger RNA (pre-mRNA) in eukaryote. Pre-mRNA with introns can be alternatively spliced to generate multiple transcripts, thereby increasing adaptation to the external stress conditions in planta. However, pre-mRNA of SR proteins can also be alternatively spliced in different plant tissues and in response to diverse stress treatments, indicating that SR proteins might be involved in regulating plant development and adaptation to environmental changes. We identified and named 18 SR proteins in cassava and systematically studied their splicing and transcriptional changes under tissue-specific and abiotic stress conditions. Fifteen out of 18 SR genes showed alternative splicing in the tissues. 45 transcripts were found from 18 SR genes under normal conditions, whereas 55 transcripts were identified, and 21 transcripts were alternate spliced in some SR genes under salt stress, suggesting that SR proteins might participate in the plant adaptation to salt stress. We then found that overexpression of MeSR34 in Arabidopsis enhanced the tolerance to salt stress through maintaining reactive oxygen species homeostasis and increasing the expression of calcineurin B-like proteins (CBL)-CBL-interacting protein kinases and osmotic stress-related genes. Therefore, our findings highlight the critical role of cassava SR proteins as regulators of RNA splicing and salt tolerance in planta.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jinbao Gu
- School of Food Science and Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui 230009, China
- Guangdong Provincial Bioengineering Institute (Guangzhou Sugarcane Industry Research Institute), Guangzhou, Guangdong 510316, China
| | - Siya Ma
- Hainan Key Laboratory for Sustainable Utilization of Tropical Bioresource, Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Forestry, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan 570228, China
| | - Yuna Zhang
- Hainan Key Laboratory for Sustainable Utilization of Tropical Bioresource, Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Forestry, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan 570228, China
| | - Dong Wang
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Gene Engineering in Jiangxi Province, College of Life Science, Nanchang University, Jiangxi 330031, China
| | - Shuqing Cao
- School of Food Science and Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui 230009, China
| | - Zhen-Yu Wang
- Guangdong Provincial Bioengineering Institute (Guangzhou Sugarcane Industry Research Institute), Guangzhou, Guangdong 510316, China
- Hainan Key Laboratory for Sustainable Utilization of Tropical Bioresource, Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Forestry, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan 570228, China
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Wang L, Chen M, Zhu F, Fan T, Zhang J, Lo C. Alternative splicing is a Sorghum bicolor defense response to fungal infection. PLANTA 2019; 251:14. [PMID: 31776670 DOI: 10.1007/s00425-019-03309-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2019] [Accepted: 10/29/2019] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
This study provides new insights that alternative splicing participates with transcriptional control in defense responses to Colletotrichum sublineola in sorghum In eukaryotic organisms, alternative splicing (AS) is an important post-transcriptional mechanism to generate multiple transcript isoforms from a single gene. Protein variants translated from splicing isoforms may have altered molecular characteristics in signal transduction and metabolic activities. However, which transcript isoforms will be translated into proteins and the biological functions of the resulting proteoforms are yet to be identified. Sorghum is one of the five major cereal crops, but its production is severely affected by fungal diseases. For example, sorghum anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum sublineola greatly reduces grain yield and biomass production. In this study, next-generation sequencing technology was used to analyze C. sublineola-inoculated sorghum seedlings compared with mock-inoculated control. It was identified that AS regulation may be as important as traditional transcriptional control during defense responses to fungal infection. Moreover, several genes involved in flavonoid and phenylpropanoid biosynthetic pathways were found to undergo multiple AS modifications. Further analysis demonstrated that non-conventional targets of both 5'- and 3'-splice sites were alternatively used in response to C. sublineola infection. Splicing factors were also affected at both transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. As the first transcriptome report on C. sublineola infected sorghum, our work also suggested that AS plays crucial functions in defense responses to fungal invasion.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lanxiang Wang
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Moxian Chen
- Shenzhen Research Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, China
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, and State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
- Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Fuyuan Zhu
- Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Biology and the Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, China
| | - Tao Fan
- Shenzhen Research Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, China
| | - Jianhua Zhang
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, and State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong.
| | - Clive Lo
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Khokhar W, Hassan MA, Reddy ASN, Chaudhary S, Jabre I, Byrne LJ, Syed NH. Genome-Wide Identification of Splicing Quantitative Trait Loci (sQTLs) in Diverse Ecotypes of Arabidopsis thaliana. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2019; 10:1160. [PMID: 31632417 PMCID: PMC6785726 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2019.01160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2019] [Accepted: 08/26/2019] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Alternative splicing (AS) of pre-mRNAs contributes to transcriptome diversity and enables plants to generate different protein isoforms from a single gene and/or fine-tune gene expression during different development stages and environmental changes. Although AS is pervasive, the genetic basis for differential isoform usage in plants is still emerging. In this study, we performed genome-wide analysis in 666 geographically distributed diverse ecotypes of Arabidopsis thaliana to identify genomic regions [splicing quantitative trait loci (sQTLs)] that may regulate differential AS. These ecotypes belong to different microclimatic conditions and are part of the relict and non-relict populations. Although sQTLs were spread across the genome, we observed enrichment for trans-sQTL (trans-sQTLs hotspots) on chromosome one. Furthermore, we identified several sQTL (911) that co-localized with trait-linked single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) identified in the Arabidopsis genome-wide association studies (AraGWAS). Many sQTLs were enriched among circadian clock, flowering, and stress-responsive genes, suggesting a role for differential isoform usage in regulating these important processes in diverse ecotypes of Arabidopsis. In conclusion, the current study provides a deep insight into SNPs affecting isoform ratios/genes and facilitates a better mechanistic understanding of trait-associated SNPs in GWAS studies. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of sQTL analysis in a large set of Arabidopsis ecotypes and can be used as a reference to perform sQTL analysis in the Brassicaceae family. Since whole genome and transcriptome datasets are available for these diverse ecotypes, it could serve as a powerful resource for the biological interpretation of trait-associated loci, splice isoform ratios, and their phenotypic consequences to help produce more resilient and high yield crop varieties.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Waqas Khokhar
- School of Human and Life Sciences, Canterbury Christ Church University, Canterbury, United Kingdom
| | - Musa A. Hassan
- Division of Infection and Immunity, The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Anireddy S. N. Reddy
- Department of Biology and Program in Cell and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | - Saurabh Chaudhary
- School of Human and Life Sciences, Canterbury Christ Church University, Canterbury, United Kingdom
| | - Ibtissam Jabre
- School of Human and Life Sciences, Canterbury Christ Church University, Canterbury, United Kingdom
| | - Lee J. Byrne
- School of Human and Life Sciences, Canterbury Christ Church University, Canterbury, United Kingdom
| | - Naeem H. Syed
- School of Human and Life Sciences, Canterbury Christ Church University, Canterbury, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Ling Z, Brockmöller T, Baldwin IT, Xu S. Evolution of Alternative Splicing in Eudicots. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2019; 10:707. [PMID: 31244865 PMCID: PMC6581728 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2019.00707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2018] [Accepted: 05/13/2019] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Alternative pre-mRNA splicing (AS) is prevalent in plants and is involved in many interactions between plants and environmental stresses. However, the patterns and underlying mechanisms of AS evolution in plants remain unclear. By analyzing the transcriptomes of four eudicot species, we revealed that the divergence of AS is largely due to the gains and losses of AS events among orthologous genes. Furthermore, based on a subset of AS, in which AS can be directly associated with specific transcripts, we found that AS that generates transcripts containing premature termination codons (PTC), are likely more conserved than those that generate non-PTC containing transcripts. This suggests that AS coupled with nonsense-mediated decay (NMD) might play an important role in affecting mRNA levels post-transcriptionally. To understand the mechanisms underlying the divergence of AS, we analyzed the key determinants of AS using a machine learning approach. We found that the presence/absence of alternative splice site (SS) within the junction, the distance between the authentic SS and the nearest alternative SS, the size of exon-exon junctions were the major determinants for both alternative 5' donor site and 3' acceptor site among the studied species, suggesting a relatively conserved AS mechanism. The comparative analysis further demonstrated that variations of the identified AS determinants significantly contributed to the AS divergence among closely related species in both Solanaceae and Brassicaceae taxa. Together, these results provide detailed insights into the evolution of AS in plants.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhihao Ling
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
| | | | - Ian T. Baldwin
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
| | - Shuqing Xu
- Plant Adaptation-in-action Group, Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Morton M, AlTamimi N, Butt H, Reddy ASN, Mahfouz M. Serine/Arginine-rich protein family of splicing regulators: New approaches to study splice isoform functions. PLANT SCIENCE : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PLANT BIOLOGY 2019; 283:127-134. [PMID: 31128682 DOI: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2019.02.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2018] [Revised: 02/19/2019] [Accepted: 02/23/2019] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Serine/arginine-rich (SR) proteins are conserved RNA-binding proteins that play major roles in RNA metabolism. They function as molecular adaptors, facilitate spliceosome assembly and modulate constitutive and alternative splicing of pre-mRNAs. Pre-mRNAs encoding SR proteins and many other proteins involved in stress responses are extensively alternatively spliced in response to diverse stresses. Hence, it is proposed that stress-induced changes in splice isoforms contribute to the adaptation of plants to stress responses. However, functions of most SR genes and their splice isoforms in stress responses are not known. Lack of easy and robust tools hindered the progress in this area. Emerging technologies such as CRISPR/Cas9 will facilitate studies of SR function by enabling the generation of single and multiple knock-out mutants of SR subfamily members. Moreover, CRISPR/Cas13 allows targeted manipulation of splice isoforms from SR and other genes in a constitutive or tissue-specific manner to evaluate functions of individual splice variants. Identification of the in vivo targets of SR proteins and their splice variants using the recently developed TRIBE (Targets of RNA-binding proteins Identified By Editing) and other methods will help unravel their mode of action and splicing regulatory elements under various conditions. These new approaches are expected to provide significant new insights into the roles of SRs and splice isoforms in plants adaptation to diverse stresses.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mitchell Morton
- Division of Biological Sciences, 4700 King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Nadia AlTamimi
- Division of Biological Sciences, 4700 King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Haroon Butt
- Laboratory for Genome Engineering, Division of Biological Sciences, 4700 King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Anireddy S N Reddy
- Department of Biology, Program in Cell and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Magdy Mahfouz
- Division of Biological Sciences, 4700 King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia; Laboratory for Genome Engineering, Division of Biological Sciences, 4700 King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Zhang D, Yang JF, Gao B, Liu TY, Hao GF, Yang GF, Fu LJ, Chen MX, Zhang J. Identification, evolution and alternative splicing profile analysis of the splicing factor 30 (SPF30) in plant species. PLANTA 2019; 249:1997-2014. [PMID: 30904945 DOI: 10.1007/s00425-019-03146-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2019] [Accepted: 03/19/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The work offers a comprehensive evaluation on the phylogenetics and conservation of splicing patterns of the plant SPF30 splicing factor gene family. In eukaryotes, one pre-mRNA can generate multiple mRNA transcripts by alternative splicing (AS), which expands transcriptome and proteome diversity. Splicing factor 30 (SPF30), also known as survival motor neuron domain containing protein 1 (SMNDC1), is a spliceosomal protein that plays an essential role in spliceosomal assembly. Although SPF30 genes have been well characterised in human and yeast, little is known about their homologues in plants. Here, we report the genome-wide identification and phylogenetic analysis of SPF30 genes in the plant kingdom. In total, 82 SPF30 genes were found in 64 plant species from algae to land plants. Alternative transcripts were found in many SPF30 genes and splicing profile analysis revealed that the second intron in SPF30 genome is frequently associated with AS events and contributed to the birth of novel exons in a few SPF30 members. In addition, different conserved sequences were observed at these putative splice sites among moss, monocots and dicots, respectively. Our findings will facilitate further functional characterization of plant SPF30 genes as putative splicing factors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Di Zhang
- School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
- Shenzhen Research Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, China
| | - Jing-Fang Yang
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide & Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, 430079, China
| | - Bei Gao
- School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | - Tie-Yuan Liu
- School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | - Ge-Fei Hao
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide & Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, 430079, China
| | - Guang-Fu Yang
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide & Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, 430079, China
| | - Li-Jun Fu
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Ecology-Toxicological Effects & Control for Emerging Contaminants, Putian University, Putian, 351100, Fujian, People's Republic of China
| | - Mo-Xian Chen
- School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong.
- Shenzhen Research Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, China.
| | - Jianhua Zhang
- Shenzhen Research Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, China.
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University and State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong.
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Chen MX, Zhu FY, Wang FZ, Ye NH, Gao B, Chen X, Zhao SS, Fan T, Cao YY, Liu TY, Su ZZ, Xie LJ, Hu QJ, Wu HJ, Xiao S, Zhang J, Liu YG. Alternative splicing and translation play important roles in hypoxic germination in rice. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2019; 70:817-833. [PMID: 30535157 PMCID: PMC6363088 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/ery393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2018] [Accepted: 10/27/2018] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Post-transcriptional mechanisms (PTMs), including alternative splicing (AS) and alternative translation initiation (ATI), may explain the diversity of proteins involved in plant development and stress responses. Transcriptional regulation is important during the hypoxic germination of rice seeds, but the potential roles of PTMs in this process have not been characterized. We used a combination of proteomics and RNA sequencing to discover how AS and ATI contribute to plant responses to hypoxia. In total, 10 253 intron-containing genes were identified. Of these, ~1741 differentially expressed AS (DAS) events from 811 genes were identified in hypoxia-treated seeds compared with controls. Over 95% of these were not present in the list of differentially expressed genes. In particular, regulatory pathways such as the spliceosome, ribosome, endoplasmic reticulum protein processing and export, proteasome, phagosome, oxidative phosphorylation, and mRNA surveillance showed substantial AS changes under hypoxia, suggesting that AS responses are largely independent of transcriptional regulation. Considerable AS changes were identified, including the preferential usage of some non-conventional splice sites and enrichment of splicing factors in the DAS data sets. Taken together, these results not only demonstrate that AS and ATI function during hypoxic germination but they have also allowed the identification of numerous novel proteins/peptides produced via ATI.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mo-Xian Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Life Science, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, Shandong, China
- Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Biology and the Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, China
- Shenzhen Research Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, China
| | - Fu-Yuan Zhu
- Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Biology and the Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, China
- Shenzhen Research Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, China
| | - Feng-Zhu Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Neng-Hui Ye
- Southern Regional Collaborative Innovation Center for Grain and Oil Crops in China, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, China
| | - Bei Gao
- School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | - Xi Chen
- SpecAlly Life Technology Co., Ltd, Wuhan, China
| | - Shan-Shan Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Tao Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Life Science, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, Shandong, China
| | - Yun-Ying Cao
- School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
- College of Life Sciences, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Tie-Yuan Liu
- School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | - Ze-Zhuo Su
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Li-Juan Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qi-Juan Hu
- Shenzhen Research Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, China
| | - Hui-Jie Wu
- College of Life Sciences, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Shi Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jianhua Zhang
- Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Biology and the Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, China
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, and State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
- Correspondence: or
| | - Ying-Gao Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Life Science, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, Shandong, China
- Correspondence: or
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Zhu J, Wang X, Xu Q, Zhao S, Tai Y, Wei C. Global dissection of alternative splicing uncovers transcriptional diversity in tissues and associates with the flavonoid pathway in tea plant (Camellia sinensis). BMC PLANT BIOLOGY 2018; 18:266. [PMID: 30400863 PMCID: PMC6219262 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-018-1497-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2018] [Accepted: 10/25/2018] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alternative splicing (AS) regulates mRNA at the post-transcriptional level to change gene function in organisms. However, little is known about the AS and its roles in tea plant (Camellia sinensis), widely cultivated for making a popular beverage tea. RESULTS In our study, the AS landscape and dynamics were characterized in eight tissues (bud, young leaf, summer mature leaf, winter old leaf, stem, root, flower, fruit) of tea plant by Illumina RNA-Seq and confirmed by Iso-Seq. The most abundant AS (~ 20%) was intron retention and involved in RNA processes. The some alternative splicings were found to be tissue specific in stem and root etc. Thirteen co-expressed modules of AS transcripts were identified, which revealed a similar pattern between the bud and young leaves as well as a distinct pattern between seasons. AS events of structural genes including anthocyanidin reductase and MYB transcription factors were involved in biosynthesis of flavonoid, especially in vegetative tissues. The AS isoforms rather than the full-length ones were the major transcripts involved in flavonoid synthesis pathway, and is positively correlated with the catechins content conferring the tea taste. We propose that the AS is an important functional mechanism in regulating flavonoid metabolites. CONCLUSION Our study provides the insight into the AS events underlying tea plant's uniquely different developmental process and highlights the important contribution and efficacy of alternative splicing regulatory function to biosynthesis of flavonoids.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Junyan Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Tea Plant Biology and Utilization/Key Laboratory of Tea Biology and Processing, Ministry of Agriculture, Anhui Agricultural University, West 130 Changjiang Road, Hefei, 230036 Anhui People’s Republic of China
| | - Xuewen Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Tea Plant Biology and Utilization/Key Laboratory of Tea Biology and Processing, Ministry of Agriculture, Anhui Agricultural University, West 130 Changjiang Road, Hefei, 230036 Anhui People’s Republic of China
- Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, 120 E Green Street, Athens, GA 30602 USA
| | - Qingshan Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Tea Plant Biology and Utilization/Key Laboratory of Tea Biology and Processing, Ministry of Agriculture, Anhui Agricultural University, West 130 Changjiang Road, Hefei, 230036 Anhui People’s Republic of China
| | - Shiqi Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Tea Plant Biology and Utilization/Key Laboratory of Tea Biology and Processing, Ministry of Agriculture, Anhui Agricultural University, West 130 Changjiang Road, Hefei, 230036 Anhui People’s Republic of China
| | - Yuling Tai
- State Key Laboratory of Tea Plant Biology and Utilization/Key Laboratory of Tea Biology and Processing, Ministry of Agriculture, Anhui Agricultural University, West 130 Changjiang Road, Hefei, 230036 Anhui People’s Republic of China
| | - Chaoling Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Tea Plant Biology and Utilization/Key Laboratory of Tea Biology and Processing, Ministry of Agriculture, Anhui Agricultural University, West 130 Changjiang Road, Hefei, 230036 Anhui People’s Republic of China
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Capovilla G, Delhomme N, Collani S, Shutava I, Bezrukov I, Symeonidi E, de Francisco Amorim M, Laubinger S, Schmid M. PORCUPINE regulates development in response to temperature through alternative splicing. NATURE PLANTS 2018; 4:534-539. [PMID: 29988152 DOI: 10.1038/s41477-018-0176-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2018] [Accepted: 05/14/2018] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Recent findings suggest that alternative splicing has a critical role in controlling the responses of plants to temperature variations. However, alternative splicing factors in plants are largely uncharacterized. Here we establish the putative splice regulator, PORCUPINE (PCP), as temperature-specific regulator of development in Arabidopsis thaliana. Our findings point to the misregulation of WUSCHEL and CLAVATA3 as the possible cause for the meristem defects affecting the pcp-1 loss-of-function mutants at low temperatures.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Giovanna Capovilla
- Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Department of Molecular Biology, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Nicolas Delhomme
- Department of Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology, Umeå Plant Science Centre, Swedish University for Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Silvio Collani
- Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Department of Molecular Biology, Tübingen, Germany
- Umeå Plant Science Centre, Department of Plant Physiology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Iryna Shutava
- Umeå Plant Science Centre, Department of Plant Physiology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Ilja Bezrukov
- Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Department of Molecular Biology, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Efthymia Symeonidi
- Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Department of Molecular Biology, Tübingen, Germany
| | | | - Sascha Laubinger
- Centre for Plant Molecular Biology (ZMBP), University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Institute for Biology and Environmental Sciences (IBU), University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Markus Schmid
- Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Department of Molecular Biology, Tübingen, Germany.
- Umeå Plant Science Centre, Department of Plant Physiology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Hartmann L, Wießner T, Wachter A. Subcellular Compartmentation of Alternatively Spliced Transcripts Defines SERINE/ARGININE-RICH PROTEIN30 Expression. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2018; 176:2886-2903. [PMID: 29496883 PMCID: PMC5884584 DOI: 10.1104/pp.17.01260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2017] [Accepted: 02/16/2018] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Alternative splicing (AS) is prevalent in higher eukaryotes, and generation of different AS variants is tightly regulated. Widespread AS occurs in response to altered light conditions and plays a critical role in seedling photomorphogenesis, but despite its frequency and effect on plant development, the functional role of AS remains unknown for most splicing variants. Here, we characterized the light-dependent AS variants of the gene encoding the splicing regulator Ser/Arg-rich protein SR30 in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). We demonstrated that the splicing variant SR30.2, which is predominantly produced in darkness, is enriched within the nucleus and strongly depleted from ribosomes. Light-induced AS from a downstream 3' splice site gives rise to SR30.1, which is exported to the cytosol and translated, coinciding with SR30 protein accumulation upon seedling illumination. Constitutive expression of SR30.1 and SR30.2 fused to fluorescent proteins revealed their identical subcellular localization in the nucleoplasm and nuclear speckles. Furthermore, expression of either variant shifted splicing of a genomic SR30 reporter toward SR30.2, suggesting that an autoregulatory feedback loop affects SR30 splicing. We provide evidence that SR30.2 can be further spliced and, unlike SR30.2, the resulting cassette exon variant SR30.3 is sensitive to nonsense-mediated decay. Our work delivers insight into the complex and compartmentalized RNA processing mechanisms that control the expression of the splicing regulator SR30 in a light-dependent manner.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Hartmann
- Center for Plant Molecular Biology (ZMBP), University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Theresa Wießner
- Center for Plant Molecular Biology (ZMBP), University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Andreas Wachter
- Center for Plant Molecular Biology (ZMBP), University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Evolutionarily Conserved Alternative Splicing Across Monocots. Genetics 2017; 207:465-480. [PMID: 28839042 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.117.300189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2017] [Accepted: 08/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
One difficulty when identifying alternative splicing (AS) events in plants is distinguishing functional AS from splicing noise. One way to add confidence to the validity of a splice isoform is to observe that it is conserved across evolutionarily related species. We use a high throughput method to identify junction-based conserved AS events from RNA-Seq data across nine plant species, including five grass monocots (maize, sorghum, rice, Brachpodium, and foxtail millet), plus two nongrass monocots (banana and African oil palm), the eudicot Arabidopsis, and the basal angiosperm Amborella In total, 9804 AS events were found to be conserved between two or more species studied. In grasses containing large regions of conserved synteny, the frequency of conserved AS events is twice that observed for genes outside of conserved synteny blocks. In plant-specific RS and RS2Z subfamilies of the serine/arginine (SR) splice-factor proteins, we observe both conservation and divergence of AS events after the whole genome duplication in maize. In addition, plant-specific RS and RS2Z splice-factor subfamilies are highly connected with R2R3-MYB in STRING functional protein association networks built using genes exhibiting conserved AS. Furthermore, we discovered that functional protein association networks constructed around genes harboring conserved AS events are enriched for phosphatases, kinases, and ubiquitylation genes, which suggests that AS may participate in regulating signaling pathways. These data lay the foundation for identifying and studying conserved AS events in the monocots, particularly across grass species, and this conserved AS resource identifies an additional layer between genotype to phenotype that may impact future crop improvement efforts.
Collapse
|
25
|
Zhu FY, Chen MX, Ye NH, Shi L, Ma KL, Yang JF, Cao YY, Zhang Y, Yoshida T, Fernie AR, Fan GY, Wen B, Zhou R, Liu TY, Fan T, Gao B, Zhang D, Hao GF, Xiao S, Liu YG, Zhang J. Proteogenomic analysis reveals alternative splicing and translation as part of the abscisic acid response in Arabidopsis seedlings. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2017; 91:518-533. [PMID: 28407323 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.13571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2017] [Revised: 04/05/2017] [Accepted: 04/07/2017] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
In eukaryotes, mechanisms such as alternative splicing (AS) and alternative translation initiation (ATI) contribute to organismal protein diversity. Specifically, splicing factors play crucial roles in responses to environment and development cues; however, the underlying mechanisms are not well investigated in plants. Here, we report the parallel employment of short-read RNA sequencing, single molecule long-read sequencing and proteomic identification to unravel AS isoforms and previously unannotated proteins in response to abscisic acid (ABA) treatment. Combining the data from the two sequencing methods, approximately 83.4% of intron-containing genes were alternatively spliced. Two AS types, which are referred to as alternative first exon (AFE) and alternative last exon (ALE), were more abundant than intron retention (IR); however, by contrast to AS events detected under normal conditions, differentially expressed AS isoforms were more likely to be translated. ABA extensively affects the AS pattern, indicated by the increasing number of non-conventional splicing sites. This work also identified thousands of unannotated peptides and proteins by ATI based on mass spectrometry and a virtual peptide library deduced from both strands of coding regions within the Arabidopsis genome. The results enhance our understanding of AS and alternative translation mechanisms under normal conditions, and in response to ABA treatment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fu-Yuan Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Life Science, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, Shandong, China
- School of Life Sciences and State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
- Shenzhen Research Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, China
| | - Mo-Xian Chen
- School of Life Sciences and State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
- Shenzhen Research Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, China
| | - Neng-Hui Ye
- Shenzhen Research Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, China
- Southern Regional Collaborative Innovation Center for Grain and Oil Crops in China, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, 410128, China
| | - Lu Shi
- School of Life Sciences and State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | | | - Jing-Fang Yang
- College of Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
| | - Yun-Ying Cao
- School of Life Sciences and State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
- College of Life Sciences, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Youjun Zhang
- Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie, Am Mühlenberg 1, 14476, Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | - Takuya Yoshida
- Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie, Am Mühlenberg 1, 14476, Potsdam-Golm, Germany
- Laboratory of Plant Molecular Physiology, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan
| | - Alisdair R Fernie
- Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie, Am Mühlenberg 1, 14476, Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | | | - Bo Wen
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
| | | | - Tie-Yuan Liu
- School of Life Sciences and State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | - Tao Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Life Science, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, Shandong, China
| | - Bei Gao
- School of Life Sciences and State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | - Di Zhang
- School of Life Sciences and State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | - Ge-Fei Hao
- College of Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
| | - Shi Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ying-Gao Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Life Science, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, Shandong, China
| | - Jianhua Zhang
- School of Life Sciences and State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
- Shenzhen Research Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, China
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Raj-Kumar PK, Vallon O, Liang C. In silico analysis of the sequence features responsible for alternatively spliced introns in the model green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. PLANT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2017; 94:253-265. [PMID: 28364390 PMCID: PMC5490245 DOI: 10.1007/s11103-017-0605-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2016] [Accepted: 03/20/2017] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Alternatively spliced introns are the ones that are usually spliced but can be occasionally retained in a transcript isoform. They are the most frequently used alternative splice form in plants (~50% of alternative splicing events). Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, a unicellular alga, is a good model to understand alternative splicing (AS) in plants from an evolutionary perspective as it diverged from land plants a billion years ago. Using over 7 million cDNA sequences from both pyrosequencing and Sanger sequencing, we found that a much higher percentage of genes (~20% of multi-exon genes) undergo AS than previously reported (3-5%). We found a full component of SR and SR-like proteins possibly involved in AS. The most prevalent type of AS event (40%) was retention of introns, most of which were supported by multiple cDNA evidence (72%) while only 20% of them have coding capacity. By comparing retained and constitutive introns, we identified sequence features potentially responsible for the retention of introns, in the framework of an "intron definition" model for splicing. We find that retained introns tend to have a weaker 5' splice site, more Gs in their poly-pyrimidine tract and a lesser conservation of nucleotide 'C' at position -3 of the 3' splice site. In addition, the sequence motifs found in the potential branch-point region differed between retained and constitutive introns. Furthermore, the enrichment of G-triplets and C-triplets among the first and last 50 nt of the introns significantly differ between constitutive and retained introns. These could serve as intronic splicing enhancers. All the alternative splice forms can be accessed at http://bioinfolab.miamioh.edu/cgi-bin/PASA_r20140417/cgi-bin/status_report.cgi?db=Chre_AS .
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Praveen-Kumar Raj-Kumar
- Department of Biology, Miami University, Oxford, OH, 45056, USA.
- Chan Soon-Shiong Institute of Molecular Medicine at Windber, Windber, PA, 15963, USA.
| | - Olivier Vallon
- Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, UMR 7141 CNRS/Université Pierre et Marie Curie, 13 rue Pierre et Marie Curie, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Chun Liang
- Department of Biology, Miami University, Oxford, OH, 45056, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Alternative Splicing of Barley Clock Genes in Response to Low Temperature. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0168028. [PMID: 27959947 PMCID: PMC5154542 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0168028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2016] [Accepted: 11/23/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Alternative splicing (AS) is a regulated mechanism that generates multiple transcripts from individual genes. It is widespread in eukaryotic genomes and provides an effective way to control gene expression. At low temperatures, AS regulates Arabidopsis clock genes through dynamic changes in the levels of productive mRNAs. We examined AS in barley clock genes to assess whether temperature-dependent AS responses also occur in a monocotyledonous crop species. We identify changes in AS of various barley core clock genes including the barley orthologues of Arabidopsis AtLHY and AtPRR7 which showed the most pronounced AS changes in response to low temperature. The AS events modulate the levels of functional and translatable mRNAs, and potentially protein levels, upon transition to cold. There is some conservation of AS events and/or splicing behaviour of clock genes between Arabidopsis and barley. In addition, novel temperature-dependent AS of the core clock gene HvPPD-H1 (a major determinant of photoperiod response and AtPRR7 orthologue) is conserved in monocots. HvPPD-H1 showed a rapid, temperature-sensitive isoform switch which resulted in changes in abundance of AS variants encoding different protein isoforms. This novel layer of low temperature control of clock gene expression, observed in two very different species, will help our understanding of plant adaptation to different environments and ultimately offer a new range of targets for plant improvement.
Collapse
|
28
|
Stepien A, Knop K, Dolata J, Taube M, Bajczyk M, Barciszewska-Pacak M, Pacak A, Jarmolowski A, Szweykowska-Kulinska Z. Posttranscriptional coordination of splicing and miRNA biogenesis in plants. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-RNA 2016; 8. [DOI: 10.1002/wrna.1403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2015] [Revised: 09/30/2016] [Accepted: 10/08/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Agata Stepien
- Department of Gene Expression, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology; Adam Mickiewicz University; Poznan Poland
| | - Katarzyna Knop
- Department of Gene Expression, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology; Adam Mickiewicz University; Poznan Poland
| | - Jakub Dolata
- Department of Gene Expression, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology; Adam Mickiewicz University; Poznan Poland
| | - Michal Taube
- Department of Gene Expression, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology; Adam Mickiewicz University; Poznan Poland
| | - Mateusz Bajczyk
- Department of Gene Expression, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology; Adam Mickiewicz University; Poznan Poland
| | - Maria Barciszewska-Pacak
- Department of Gene Expression, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology; Adam Mickiewicz University; Poznan Poland
| | - Andrzej Pacak
- Department of Gene Expression, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology; Adam Mickiewicz University; Poznan Poland
| | - Artur Jarmolowski
- Department of Gene Expression, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology; Adam Mickiewicz University; Poznan Poland
| | - Zofia Szweykowska-Kulinska
- Department of Gene Expression, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology; Adam Mickiewicz University; Poznan Poland
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Abdel-Ghany SE, Hamilton M, Jacobi JL, Ngam P, Devitt N, Schilkey F, Ben-Hur A, Reddy ASN. A survey of the sorghum transcriptome using single-molecule long reads. Nat Commun 2016; 7:11706. [PMID: 27339290 PMCID: PMC4931028 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms11706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 323] [Impact Index Per Article: 40.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2015] [Accepted: 04/20/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Alternative splicing and alternative polyadenylation (APA) of pre-mRNAs greatly contribute to transcriptome diversity, coding capacity of a genome and gene regulatory mechanisms in eukaryotes. Second-generation sequencing technologies have been extensively used to analyse transcriptomes. However, a major limitation of short-read data is that it is difficult to accurately predict full-length splice isoforms. Here we sequenced the sorghum transcriptome using Pacific Biosciences single-molecule real-time long-read isoform sequencing and developed a pipeline called TAPIS (Transcriptome Analysis Pipeline for Isoform Sequencing) to identify full-length splice isoforms and APA sites. Our analysis reveals transcriptome-wide full-length isoforms at an unprecedented scale with over 11,000 novel splice isoforms. Additionally, we uncover APA of ∼11,000 expressed genes and more than 2,100 novel genes. These results greatly enhance sorghum gene annotations and aid in studying gene regulation in this important bioenergy crop. The TAPIS pipeline will serve as a useful tool to analyse Iso-Seq data from any organism. Alternative splicing and alternative polyadenylation (APA) contribute to mRNA diversity but are difficult to assess using short read RNA-seq data. Here, the authors use single molecule long-read isoform sequencing and develop a computational pipeline to identify full-length splice isoforms and APA sites in sorghum.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Salah E Abdel-Ghany
- Department of Biology, Program in Molecular Plant Biology, Program in Cell and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, USA
| | - Michael Hamilton
- Department of Computer Science, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, USA
| | - Jennifer L Jacobi
- National Center for Genome Resources, 2935 Rodeo Park Dr East, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505, USA
| | - Peter Ngam
- National Center for Genome Resources, 2935 Rodeo Park Dr East, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505, USA
| | - Nicholas Devitt
- National Center for Genome Resources, 2935 Rodeo Park Dr East, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505, USA
| | - Faye Schilkey
- National Center for Genome Resources, 2935 Rodeo Park Dr East, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505, USA
| | - Asa Ben-Hur
- Department of Computer Science, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, USA
| | - Anireddy S N Reddy
- Department of Biology, Program in Molecular Plant Biology, Program in Cell and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, USA
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Mao Y, Sun J, Cao P, Zhang R, Fu Q, Chen S, Chen F, Jiang J. Functional analysis of alternative splicing of the FLOWERING LOCUS T orthologous gene in Chrysanthemum morifolium. HORTICULTURE RESEARCH 2016; 3:16058. [PMID: 27917290 PMCID: PMC5120556 DOI: 10.1038/hortres.2016.58] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2016] [Revised: 10/06/2016] [Accepted: 10/27/2016] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
As the junction of floral development pathways, the FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) protein called 'florigen' plays an important role in the process of plant flowering through signal integration. We isolated four transcripts encoding different isoforms of a FT orthologous gene CmFTL1, from Chrysanthemum morifolium cultivar 'Jimba'. Sequence alignments suggested that the four transcripts are related to the intron 1. Expression analysis showed that four alternative splicing (AS) forms of CmFTL1 varied depending on the developmental stage of the flower. The functional complement experiment using an Arabidopsis mutant ft-10 revealed that the archetypal and AS forms of CmFTL1 had the function of complementing late flower phenotype in different levels. In addition, transgenic confirmation at transcript level showed CmFTL1 and CmFTL1ast coexist in the same tissue type at the same developmental stage, indicating a post-transcriptional modification of CmFTL1 in Arabidopsis. Moreover, ectopic expression of different AS forms in chrysanthemum resulted in the development of multiple altered phenotypes, varying degrees of early flowering. We found that an alternative splicing form (CmFTL1-astE134) without the exon 2 lacked the ability causing the earlier flower phenotype. The evidence in this study indicates that complex alternative processing of CmFTL1 transcripts in C. morifolium may be associated with flowering regulation and hold some potential for biotechnical engineering to create early-flowering phenotypes in ornamental cultivars.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yachao Mao
- College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Jing Sun
- College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Peipei Cao
- College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Rong Zhang
- College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Qike Fu
- College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Sumei Chen
- College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Fadi Chen
- College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Jiafu Jiang
- College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
- ()
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Abstract
Alternative pre-messenger RNA splicing in higher plants emerges as an important layer of regulation upon exposure to exogenous and endogenous cues. Accordingly, mutants defective in RNA-binding proteins predicted to function in the splicing process show severe phenotypic alterations. Among those are developmental defects, impaired responses to pathogen threat or abiotic stress factors, and misregulation of the circadian timing system. A suite of splicing factors has been identified in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Here we summarize recent insights on how defects in these splicing factors impair plant performance.
Collapse
|
32
|
Filichkin S, Priest HD, Megraw M, Mockler TC. Alternative splicing in plants: directing traffic at the crossroads of adaptation and environmental stress. CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY 2015; 24:125-35. [PMID: 25835141 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2015.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 133] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2015] [Revised: 02/19/2015] [Accepted: 02/20/2015] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, high-throughput sequencing-based analysis of plant transcriptomes has suggested that up to ∼60% of plant gene loci encode alternatively spliced mature transcripts. These studies have also revealed that alternative splicing in plants can be regulated by cell type, developmental stage, the environment, and the circadian clock. Alternative splicing is coupled to RNA surveillance and processing mechanisms, including nonsense mediated decay. Recently, non-protein-coding transcripts have also been shown to undergo alternative splicing. These discoveries collectively describe a robust system of post-transcriptional regulatory feedback loops which influence RNA abundance. In this review, we summarize recent studies describing the specific roles alternative splicing and RNA surveillance play in plant adaptation to environmental stresses and the regulation of the circadian clock.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sergei Filichkin
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA; Center for Genome Research and Biocomputing, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA.
| | - Henry D Priest
- Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Washington University, Saint Louis, MO 63130, USA; Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, Saint Louis, MO 63132, USA
| | - Molly Megraw
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA; Center for Genome Research and Biocomputing, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - Todd C Mockler
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA; Center for Genome Research and Biocomputing, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA; Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Washington University, Saint Louis, MO 63130, USA; Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, Saint Louis, MO 63132, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Lareau LF, Brenner SE. Regulation of splicing factors by alternative splicing and NMD is conserved between kingdoms yet evolutionarily flexible. Mol Biol Evol 2015; 32:1072-9. [PMID: 25576366 PMCID: PMC4379411 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msv002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Ultraconserved elements, unusually long regions of perfect sequence identity, are found in genes encoding numerous RNA-binding proteins including arginine-serine rich (SR) splicing factors. Expression of these genes is regulated via alternative splicing of the ultraconserved regions to yield mRNAs that are degraded by nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD), a process termed unproductive splicing (Lareau et al. 2007; Ni et al. 2007). As all human SR genes are affected by alternative splicing and NMD, one might expect this regulation to have originated in an early SR gene and persisted as duplications expanded the SR family. But in fact, unproductive splicing of most human SR genes arose independently (Lareau et al. 2007). This paradox led us to investigate the origin and proliferation of unproductive splicing in SR genes. We demonstrate that unproductive splicing of the splicing factor SRSF5 (SRp40) is conserved among all animals and even observed in fungi; this is a rare example of alternative splicing conserved between kingdoms, yet its effect is to trigger mRNA degradation. As the gene duplicated, the ancient unproductive splicing was lost in paralogs, and distinct unproductive splicing evolved rapidly and repeatedly to take its place. SR genes have consistently employed unproductive splicing, and while it is exceptionally conserved in some of these genes, turnover in specific events among paralogs shows flexible means to the same regulatory end.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Liana F Lareau
- Departments of Molecular and Cell Biology and Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley Department of Biochemistry, Stanford University School of Medicine
| | - Steven E Brenner
- Departments of Molecular and Cell Biology and Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Braunschweig U, Barbosa-Morais NL, Pan Q, Nachman EN, Alipanahi B, Gonatopoulos-Pournatzis T, Frey B, Irimia M, Blencowe BJ. Widespread intron retention in mammals functionally tunes transcriptomes. Genome Res 2014; 24:1774-86. [PMID: 25258385 PMCID: PMC4216919 DOI: 10.1101/gr.177790.114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 442] [Impact Index Per Article: 44.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Alternative splicing (AS) of precursor RNAs is responsible for greatly expanding the regulatory and functional capacity of eukaryotic genomes. Of the different classes of AS, intron retention (IR) is the least well understood. In plants and unicellular eukaryotes, IR is the most common form of AS, whereas in animals, it is thought to represent the least prevalent form. Using high-coverage poly(A)+ RNA-seq data, we observe that IR is surprisingly frequent in mammals, affecting transcripts from as many as three-quarters of multiexonic genes. A highly correlated set of cis features comprising an “IR code” reliably discriminates retained from constitutively spliced introns. We show that IR acts widely to reduce the levels of transcripts that are less or not required for the physiology of the cell or tissue type in which they are detected. This “transcriptome tuning” function of IR acts through both nonsense-mediated mRNA decay and nuclear sequestration and turnover of IR transcripts. We further show that IR is linked to a cross-talk mechanism involving localized stalling of RNA polymerase II (Pol II) and reduced availability of spliceosomal components. Collectively, the results implicate a global checkpoint-type mechanism whereby reduced recruitment of splicing components coupled to Pol II pausing underlies widespread IR-mediated suppression of inappropriately expressed transcripts.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Nuno L Barbosa-Morais
- Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3E1, Canada; Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Qun Pan
- Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3E1, Canada
| | - Emil N Nachman
- Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3E1, Canada; Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Babak Alipanahi
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Toronto, Ontario, M5S 2E4, Canada
| | | | - Brendan Frey
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Toronto, Ontario, M5S 2E4, Canada
| | - Manuel Irimia
- Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3E1, Canada;
| | - Benjamin J Blencowe
- Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3E1, Canada; Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1A8, Canada;
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Xu P, Kong Y, Song D, Huang C, Li X, Li L. Conservation and functional influence of alternative splicing in wood formation of Populus and Eucalyptus. BMC Genomics 2014; 15:780. [PMID: 25209012 PMCID: PMC4287496 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-15-780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2014] [Accepted: 09/08/2014] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Wood formation in tree species is regulated by multiple factors at various layers. Alternative splicing (AS) occurs within a large number of genes in wood formation. However, the functional implications and conservation of the AS occurrence are not well understood. RESULTS In this study, we profiled AS events in wood-forming tissues of Populus and Eucalyptus, and analyzed their functional implications as well as inter-species conservation. 28.3% and 20.7% of highly expressed transcripts in the developing xylem of Populus and Eucalyptus respectively were affected by AS events. Around 42% of the AS events resulted in changes to the original reading frame. 25.0% (in Populus) and 26.8% (in Eucalyptus) of the AS events may cause protein domain modification. In the process of wood formation, about 28% of AS-occurring genes were putative orthologs and 71 conserved AS events were identified in the two species. CONCLUSION Through analysis of AS events in developing xylem of two tree species, this study reveals an array of new information regarding AS occurrence and function in tree development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Laigeng Li
- National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics and Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 300 Fenglin Rd, Shanghai, 200032, China.
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Panahi B, Abbaszadeh B, Taghizadeghan M, Ebrahimie E. Genome-wide survey of Alternative Splicing in Sorghum Bicolor. PHYSIOLOGY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF PLANTS : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FUNCTIONAL PLANT BIOLOGY 2014; 20:323-329. [PMID: 25049459 PMCID: PMC4101146 DOI: 10.1007/s12298-014-0245-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2014] [Accepted: 06/09/2014] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Sorghum bicolor is a member of grass family which is an attractive model plant for genome study due to interesting genome features like low genome size. In this research, we performed comprehensive investigation of Alternative Splicing and ontology aspects of genes those have undergone these events in sorghum bicolor. We used homology based alignments between gene rich transcripts, represented by tentative consensus (TC) transcript sequences, and genomic scaffolds to deduce the structure of genes and identify alternatively spliced transcripts in sorghum. Using homology mapping of assembled expressed sequence tags with genomics data, we identified 2,137 Alternative Splicing events in S. bicolor. Our study showed that complex events and intron retention are the main types of Alternative Splicing events in S. bicolor and highlights the prevalence of splicing site recognition for definition of introns in this plant. Annotations of the alternatively spliced genes revealed that they represent diverse biological process and molecular functions, suggesting a fundamental role for Alternative Splicing in affecting the development and physiology of S. bicolor.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bahman Panahi
- />Department of Biotechnology and Plant Breeding, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Bahram Abbaszadeh
- />Meshgin shahr Branch, Islamic Azad University, Meshgin Shahr, Iran
| | - Mehdi Taghizadeghan
- />Department of Biotechnology and Plant Breeding, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Esmaeil Ebrahimie
- />School of Molecular and Biomedical Science, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Simpson CG, Lewandowska D, Liney M, Davidson D, Chapman S, Fuller J, McNicol J, Shaw P, Brown JWS. Arabidopsis PTB1 and PTB2 proteins negatively regulate splicing of a mini-exon splicing reporter and affect alternative splicing of endogenous genes differentially. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2014; 203:424-436. [PMID: 24749484 DOI: 10.1111/nph.12821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2013] [Accepted: 03/14/2013] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
This paper examines the function of Arabidopsis thaliana AtPTB1 and AtPTB2 as plant splicing factors. The effect on splicing of overexpression of AtPTB1 and AtPTB2 was analysed in an in vivo protoplast transient expression system with a novel mini-exon splicing reporter. A range of mutations in pyrimidine-rich sequences were compared with and without AtPTB and NpU2AF65 overexpression. Splicing analyses of constructs in protoplasts and RNA from overexpression lines used high-resolution reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). AtPTB1 and AtPTB2 reduced inclusion/splicing of the potato invertase mini-exon splicing reporter, indicating that these proteins can repress plant intron splicing. Mutation of the polypyrimidine tract and closely associated Cytosine and Uracil-rich (CU-rich) sequences, upstream of the mini-exon, altered repression by AtPTB1 and AtPTB2. Coexpression of a plant orthologue of U2AF65 alleviated the splicing repression of AtPTB1. Mutation of a second CU-rich upstream of the mini-exon 3' splice site led to a decline in mini-exon splicing, indicating the presence of a splicing enhancer sequence. Finally, RT-PCR of AtPTB overexpression lines with c. 90 known alternative splicing (AS) events showed that AtPTBs significantly altered AS of over half the events. AtPTB1 and AtPTB2 are splicing factors that influence alternative splicing. This occurs in the potato invertase mini-exon via the polypyrimidine tract and associated pyrimidine-rich sequence.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Craig G Simpson
- Cell and Molecular Sciences, The James Hutton Institute, Invergowrie, Dundee, DD2 5DA, UK
| | - Dominika Lewandowska
- Cell and Molecular Sciences, The James Hutton Institute, Invergowrie, Dundee, DD2 5DA, UK
| | - Michele Liney
- Cell and Molecular Sciences, The James Hutton Institute, Invergowrie, Dundee, DD2 5DA, UK
| | - Diane Davidson
- Cell and Molecular Sciences, The James Hutton Institute, Invergowrie, Dundee, DD2 5DA, UK
| | - Sean Chapman
- Cell and Molecular Sciences, The James Hutton Institute, Invergowrie, Dundee, DD2 5DA, UK
| | - John Fuller
- Cell and Molecular Sciences, The James Hutton Institute, Invergowrie, Dundee, DD2 5DA, UK
| | - Jim McNicol
- Biomathematics and Statistics Scotland, Invergowrie, Dundee, DD2 5DA, UK
| | - Paul Shaw
- Information and Computational Sciences, The James Hutton Institute, Invergowrie, Dundee, DD2 5DA, UK
| | - John W S Brown
- Cell and Molecular Sciences, The James Hutton Institute, Invergowrie, Dundee, DD2 5DA, UK
- Division of Plant Sciences, University of Dundee at JHI, Invergowrie, Dundee, DD2 5DA, UK
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Petrillo E, Godoy Herz MA, Fuchs A, Reifer D, Fuller J, Yanovsky MJ, Simpson C, Brown JWS, Barta A, Kalyna M, Kornblihtt AR. A chloroplast retrograde signal regulates nuclear alternative splicing. Science 2014; 344:427-30. [PMID: 24763593 DOI: 10.1126/science.1250322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 152] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Light is a source of energy and also a regulator of plant physiological adaptations. We show here that light/dark conditions affect alternative splicing of a subset of Arabidopsis genes preferentially encoding proteins involved in RNA processing. The effect requires functional chloroplasts and is also observed in roots when the communication with the photosynthetic tissues is not interrupted, suggesting that a signaling molecule travels through the plant. Using photosynthetic electron transfer inhibitors with different mechanisms of action, we deduce that the reduced pool of plastoquinones initiates a chloroplast retrograde signaling that regulates nuclear alternative splicing and is necessary for proper plant responses to varying light conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ezequiel Petrillo
- Laboratorio de Fisiología y Biología Molecular, Departamento de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Celular, IFIBYNE-CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, Pabellón 2, C1428EHA Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
39
|
Godoy Herz MA, Kornblihtt AR, Barta A, Kalyna M, Petrillo E. Shedding light on the chloroplast as a remote control of nuclear gene expression. PLANT SIGNALING & BEHAVIOR 2014; 9:e976150. [PMID: 25482785 PMCID: PMC4622676 DOI: 10.4161/15592324.2014.976150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2014] [Revised: 08/12/2014] [Accepted: 08/14/2014] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Plants rely on a sophisticated light sensing and signaling system that allows them to respond to environmental changes. Photosensory protein systems -phytochromes, cryptochromes, phototropins, and ultraviolet (UV)-B photoreceptors- have evolved to let plants monitor light conditions and regulate different levels of gene expression and developmental processes. However, even though photoreceptor proteins are best characterized and deeply studied, it is also known that chloroplasts are able to sense light conditions and communicate the variations to the nucleus that adjust its transcriptome to the changing environment. The redox state of components of the photosynthetic electron transport chain works as a sensor of photosynthetic activity and can affect nuclear gene expression by a retrograde signaling pathway. Recently, our groups showed that a retrograde signaling pathway can modulate the alternative splicing process, revealing a novel layer of gene expression control by chloroplast retrograde signaling.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Micaela A Godoy Herz
- Laboratorio de Fisiología y Biología Molecular; Departamento de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Celular; IFIBYNE-CONICET; Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Universidad de Buenos Aires; Ciudad Universitaria; Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Alberto R Kornblihtt
- Laboratorio de Fisiología y Biología Molecular; Departamento de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Celular; IFIBYNE-CONICET; Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Universidad de Buenos Aires; Ciudad Universitaria; Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Andrea Barta
- Max F. Perutz Laboratories; Medical University of Vienna; Vienna, Austria
| | - Maria Kalyna
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology; BOKU – University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences; Vienna, Austria
| | - Ezequiel Petrillo
- Max F. Perutz Laboratories; Medical University of Vienna; Vienna, Austria
- Correspondence to: Ezequiel Petrillo;
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Rauch HB, Patrick TL, Klusman KM, Battistuzzi FU, Mei W, Brendel VP, Lal SK. Discovery and expression analysis of alternative splicing events conserved among plant SR proteins. Mol Biol Evol 2013; 31:605-13. [PMID: 24356560 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/mst238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The high frequency of alternative splicing among the serine/arginine-rich (SR) family of proteins in plants has been linked to important roles in gene regulation during development and in response to environmental stress. In this article, we have searched and manually annotated all the SR proteins in the genomes of maize and sorghum. The experimental validation of gene structure by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis revealed, with few exceptions, that SR genes produced multiple isoforms of transcripts by alternative splicing. Despite sharing high structural similarity and conserved positions of the introns, the profile of alternative splicing diverged significantly between maize and sorghum for the vast majority of SR genes. These include many transcript isoforms discovered by RT-PCR and not represented in extant expressed sequence tag (EST) collection. However, we report the occurrence of various maize and sorghum SR mRNA isoforms that display evolutionary conservation of splicing events with their homologous SR genes in Arabidopsis and moss. Our data also indicate an important role of both 5' and 3' untranslated regions in the regulation of SR gene expression. These observations have potentially important implications for the processes of evolution and adaptation of plants to land.
Collapse
|
41
|
Raczynska KD, Stepien A, Kierzkowski D, Kalak M, Bajczyk M, McNicol J, Simpson CG, Szweykowska-Kulinska Z, Brown JWS, Jarmolowski A. The SERRATE protein is involved in alternative splicing in Arabidopsis thaliana. Nucleic Acids Res 2013; 42:1224-44. [PMID: 24137006 PMCID: PMC3902902 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkt894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
How alternative splicing (AS) is regulated in plants has not yet been elucidated. Previously, we have shown that the nuclear cap-binding protein complex (AtCBC) is involved in AS in Arabidopsis thaliana. Here we show that both subunits of AtCBC (AtCBP20 and AtCBP80) interact with SERRATE (AtSE), a protein involved in the microRNA biogenesis pathway. Moreover, using a high-resolution reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction AS system we have found that AtSE influences AS in a similar way to the cap-binding complex (CBC), preferentially affecting selection of 5′ splice site of first introns. The AtSE protein acts in cooperation with AtCBC: many changes observed in the mutant lacking the correct SERRATE activity were common to those observed in the cbp mutants. Interestingly, significant changes in AS of some genes were also observed in other mutants of plant microRNA biogenesis pathway, hyl1-2 and dcl1-7, but a majority of them did not correspond to the changes observed in the se-1 mutant. Thus, the role of SERRATE in AS regulation is distinct from that of HYL1 and DCL1, and is similar to the regulation of AS in which CBC is involved.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Katarzyna Dorota Raczynska
- Department of Gene Expression, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland, Max Planck Institute for Plant Breading Research, 50829, Germany, Biomathematics and Statistics Scotland (BioSS), James Hutton Institute, Dundee DD2 5DA, Scotland, UK, Cell and Molecular Sciences, James Hutton Institute, Dundee DD2 5DA, Scotland, UK and Division of Plant Sciences, University of Dundee at the James Hutton Institute, Dundee DD2 5DA, Scotland, UK
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
42
|
Staiger D, Brown JWS. Alternative splicing at the intersection of biological timing, development, and stress responses. THE PLANT CELL 2013. [PMID: 24179132 DOI: 10.1105/tcp.113.117523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
High-throughput sequencing for transcript profiling in plants has revealed that alternative splicing (AS) affects a much higher proportion of the transcriptome than was previously assumed. AS is involved in most plant processes and is particularly prevalent in plants exposed to environmental stress. The identification of mutations in predicted splicing factors and spliceosomal proteins that affect cell fate, the circadian clock, plant defense, and tolerance/sensitivity to abiotic stress all point to a fundamental role of splicing/AS in plant growth, development, and responses to external cues. Splicing factors affect the AS of multiple downstream target genes, thereby transferring signals to alter gene expression via splicing factor/AS networks. The last two to three years have seen an ever-increasing number of examples of functional AS. At a time when the identification of AS in individual genes and at a global level is exploding, this review aims to bring together such examples to illustrate the extent and importance of AS, which are not always obvious from individual publications. It also aims to ensure that plant scientists are aware that AS is likely to occur in the genes that they study and that dynamic changes in AS and its consequences need to be considered routinely.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dorothee Staiger
- Molecular Cell Physiology, Bielefeld University, D33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | | |
Collapse
|
43
|
Reddy AS, Marquez Y, Kalyna M, Barta A. Complexity of the alternative splicing landscape in plants. THE PLANT CELL 2013; 25:3657-83. [PMID: 24179125 PMCID: PMC3877793 DOI: 10.1105/tpc.113.117523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 516] [Impact Index Per Article: 46.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2013] [Revised: 09/27/2013] [Accepted: 10/08/2013] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Alternative splicing (AS) of precursor mRNAs (pre-mRNAs) from multiexon genes allows organisms to increase their coding potential and regulate gene expression through multiple mechanisms. Recent transcriptome-wide analysis of AS using RNA sequencing has revealed that AS is highly pervasive in plants. Pre-mRNAs from over 60% of intron-containing genes undergo AS to produce a vast repertoire of mRNA isoforms. The functions of most splice variants are unknown. However, emerging evidence indicates that splice variants increase the functional diversity of proteins. Furthermore, AS is coupled to transcript stability and translation through nonsense-mediated decay and microRNA-mediated gene regulation. Widespread changes in AS in response to developmental cues and stresses suggest a role for regulated splicing in plant development and stress responses. Here, we review recent progress in uncovering the extent and complexity of the AS landscape in plants, its regulation, and the roles of AS in gene regulation. The prevalence of AS in plants has raised many new questions that require additional studies. New tools based on recent technological advances are allowing genome-wide analysis of RNA elements in transcripts and of chromatin modifications that regulate AS. Application of these tools in plants will provide significant new insights into AS regulation and crosstalk between AS and other layers of gene regulation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anireddy S.N. Reddy
- Department of Biology, Program in Molecular Plant Biology, Program in Cell and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523
- Address correspondence to
| | - Yamile Marquez
- Max F. Perutz Laboratories, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna A-1030, Austria
| | - Maria Kalyna
- Max F. Perutz Laboratories, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna A-1030, Austria
| | - Andrea Barta
- Max F. Perutz Laboratories, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna A-1030, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Identification of a PTC-containing DlRan transcript and its differential expression during somatic embryogenesis in Dimocarpus longan. Gene 2013; 529:37-44. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2013.07.091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2013] [Revised: 05/19/2013] [Accepted: 07/25/2013] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
|
45
|
Staiger D, Brown JW. Alternative splicing at the intersection of biological timing, development, and stress responses. THE PLANT CELL 2013; 25:3640-56. [PMID: 24179132 PMCID: PMC3877812 DOI: 10.1105/tpc.113.113803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 434] [Impact Index Per Article: 39.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2013] [Revised: 05/15/2013] [Accepted: 10/08/2013] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
High-throughput sequencing for transcript profiling in plants has revealed that alternative splicing (AS) affects a much higher proportion of the transcriptome than was previously assumed. AS is involved in most plant processes and is particularly prevalent in plants exposed to environmental stress. The identification of mutations in predicted splicing factors and spliceosomal proteins that affect cell fate, the circadian clock, plant defense, and tolerance/sensitivity to abiotic stress all point to a fundamental role of splicing/AS in plant growth, development, and responses to external cues. Splicing factors affect the AS of multiple downstream target genes, thereby transferring signals to alter gene expression via splicing factor/AS networks. The last two to three years have seen an ever-increasing number of examples of functional AS. At a time when the identification of AS in individual genes and at a global level is exploding, this review aims to bring together such examples to illustrate the extent and importance of AS, which are not always obvious from individual publications. It also aims to ensure that plant scientists are aware that AS is likely to occur in the genes that they study and that dynamic changes in AS and its consequences need to be considered routinely.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dorothee Staiger
- Molecular Cell Physiology, Bielefeld University, D33615 Bielefeld, Germany
- Institute for Genome Research and Systems Biology, CeBiTec, D33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - John W.S. Brown
- Division of Plant Sciences, University of Dundee at The James Hutton Institute, Invergowrie DD2 5DA, Scotland, United Kingdom
- Cell and Molecular Sciences, The James Hutton Institute, Invergowrie DD2 5DA, Scotland, United Kingdom
- Address correspondence to
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Lariat sequencing in a unicellular yeast identifies regulated alternative splicing of exons that are evolutionarily conserved with humans. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2013; 110:12762-7. [PMID: 23861491 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1218353110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Alternative splicing is a potent regulator of gene expression that vastly increases proteomic diversity in multicellular eukaryotes and is associated with organismal complexity. Although alternative splicing is widespread in vertebrates, little is known about the evolutionary origins of this process, in part because of the absence of phylogenetically conserved events that cross major eukaryotic clades. Here we describe a lariat-sequencing approach, which offers high sensitivity for detecting splicing events, and its application to the unicellular fungus, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, an organism that shares many of the hallmarks of alternative splicing in mammalian systems but for which no previous examples of exon-skipping had been demonstrated. Over 200 previously unannotated splicing events were identified, including examples of regulated alternative splicing. Remarkably, an evolutionary analysis of four of the exons identified here as subject to skipping in S. pombe reveals high sequence conservation and perfect length conservation with their homologs in scores of plants, animals, and fungi. Moreover, alternative splicing of two of these exons have been documented in multiple vertebrate organisms, making these the first demonstrations of identical alternative-splicing patterns in species that are separated by over 1 billion y of evolution.
Collapse
|
47
|
Darracq A, Adams KL. Features of evolutionarily conserved alternative splicing events between Brassica and Arabidopsis. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2013; 199:252-263. [PMID: 23551259 DOI: 10.1111/nph.12238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2012] [Accepted: 02/18/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Alternative splicing (AS) generates multiple types of mRNA from a single type of pre-mRNA by differential intron splicing. It can result in new protein isoforms or down-regulation of gene expression by transcript decay. The evolutionary conservation of AS events in plants is largely unexplored and only a small number of AS events have been identified as conserved between divergent species. We performed a large-scale analysis of cDNA data from Brassica and Arabidopsis to identify and further characterize conserved AS events. We identified 537 conserved AS events in 485 genes. Alternative donor and acceptor events are significantly overrepresented among conserved events, whereas intron retention and exon skipping events are underrepresented. Conserved AS events are significantly shorter, less likely to be in the 3'UTR, and they are enriched for genes whose products function in the chloroplast. AS modified a functional domain for about half of the genes with conserved events. We further characterized three genes with conserved AS events. This study identifies many AS events that are conserved between Brassica and Arabidopsis, revealing features of conserved AS events. Many of the conserved AS events may have important, but uncharacterized, functions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Aude Darracq
- Department of Botany, and UBC Botanical Garden & Centre for Plant Research, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Keith L Adams
- Department of Botany, and UBC Botanical Garden & Centre for Plant Research, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
48
|
Streitner C, Köster T, Simpson CG, Shaw P, Danisman S, Brown JWS, Staiger D. An hnRNP-like RNA-binding protein affects alternative splicing by in vivo interaction with transcripts in Arabidopsis thaliana. Nucleic Acids Res 2012; 40:11240-55. [PMID: 23042250 PMCID: PMC3526319 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gks873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 108] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Alternative splicing (AS) of pre-mRNAs is an important regulatory mechanism shaping the transcriptome. In plants, only few RNA-binding proteins are known to affect AS. Here, we show that the glycine-rich RNA-binding protein AtGRP7 influences AS in Arabidopsis thaliana. Using a high-resolution RT–PCR-based AS panel, we found significant changes in the ratios of AS isoforms for 59 of 288 analyzed AS events upon ectopic AtGRP7 expression. In particular, AtGRP7 affected the choice of alternative 5′ splice sites preferentially. About half of the events are also influenced by the paralog AtGRP8, indicating that AtGRP7 and AtGRP8 share a network of downstream targets. For 10 events, the AS patterns were altered in opposite directions in plants with elevated AtGRP7 level or lacking AtGRP7. Importantly, RNA immunoprecipitation from plant extracts showed that several transcripts are bound by AtGRP7 in vivo and indeed represent direct targets. Furthermore, the effect of AtGRP7 on these AS events was abrogated by mutation of a single arginine that is required for its RNA-binding activity. This indicates that AtGRP7 impacts AS of these transcripts via direct interaction. As several of the AS events are also controlled by other splicing regulators, our data begin to provide insights into an AS network in Arabidopsis.
Collapse
|
49
|
Syed NH, Kalyna M, Marquez Y, Barta A, Brown JW. Alternative splicing in plants--coming of age. TRENDS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2012; 17:616-23. [PMID: 22743067 PMCID: PMC3466422 DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2012.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 336] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2012] [Revised: 05/30/2012] [Accepted: 06/02/2012] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
More than 60% of intron-containing genes undergo alternative splicing (AS) in plants. This number will increase when AS in different tissues, developmental stages, and environmental conditions are explored. Although the functional impact of AS on protein complexity is still understudied in plants, recent examples demonstrate its importance in regulating plant processes. AS also regulates transcript levels and the link with nonsense-mediated decay and generation of unproductive mRNAs illustrate the need for both transcriptional and AS data in gene expression analyses. AS has influenced the evolution of the complex networks of regulation of gene expression and variation in AS contributed to adaptation of plants to their environment and therefore will impact strategies for improving plant and crop phenotypes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Naeem H. Syed
- Division of Plant Sciences, University of Dundee at the James Hutton Institute, Invergowrie, Dundee DD2 5DA, Scotland, UK
| | - Maria Kalyna
- Max F. Perutz Laboratories, Medical University of Vienna, Dr Bohr-Gasse 9/3, A-1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Yamile Marquez
- Max F. Perutz Laboratories, Medical University of Vienna, Dr Bohr-Gasse 9/3, A-1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Andrea Barta
- Max F. Perutz Laboratories, Medical University of Vienna, Dr Bohr-Gasse 9/3, A-1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - John W.S. Brown
- Division of Plant Sciences, University of Dundee at the James Hutton Institute, Invergowrie, Dundee DD2 5DA, Scotland, UK
- Cell and Molecular Sciences, The James Hutton Institute, Invergowrie, Dundee DD2 5DA, Scotland, UK
| |
Collapse
|
50
|
Filichkin SA, Mockler TC. Unproductive alternative splicing and nonsense mRNAs: a widespread phenomenon among plant circadian clock genes. Biol Direct 2012; 7:20. [PMID: 22747664 PMCID: PMC3403997 DOI: 10.1186/1745-6150-7-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2011] [Accepted: 07/02/2012] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Recent mapping of eukaryotic transcriptomes and spliceomes using massively parallel RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) has revealed that the extent of alternative splicing has been considerably underestimated. Evidence also suggests that many pre-mRNAs undergo unproductive alternative splicing resulting in incorporation of in-frame premature termination codons (PTCs). The destinies and potential functions of the PTC-harboring mRNAs remain poorly understood. Unproductive alternative splicing in circadian clock genes presents a special case study because the daily oscillations of protein expression levels require rapid and steep adjustments in mRNA levels. Results We conducted a systematic survey of alternative splicing of plant circadian clock genes using RNA-seq and found that many Arabidopsis thaliana circadian clock-associated genes are alternatively spliced. Results were confirmed using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR), and/or Sanger sequencing. Intron retention events were frequently observed in mRNAs of the CCA1/LHY-like subfamily of MYB transcription factors. In contrast, the REVEILLE2 (RVE2) transcript was alternatively spliced via inclusion of a "poison cassette exon" (PCE). The PCE type events introducing in-frame PTCs are conserved in some mammalian and plant serine/arginine-rich splicing factors. For some circadian genes such as CCA1 the ratio of the productive isoform (i.e., a representative splice variant encoding the full-length protein) to its PTC counterpart shifted sharply under specific environmental stress conditions. Conclusions Our results demonstrate that unproductive alternative splicing is a widespread phenomenon among plant circadian clock genes that frequently generates mRNA isoforms harboring in-frame PTCs. Because LHY and CCA1 are core components of the plant central circadian oscillator, the conservation of alternatively spliced variants between CCA1 and LHY and for CCA1 across phyla [2] indicates a potential role of nonsense transcripts in regulation of circadian rhythms. Most of the alternatively spliced isoforms harbor in-frame PTCs that arise from full or partial intron retention events. However, a PTC in the RVE2 transcript is introduced through a PCE event. The conservation of AS events and modulation of the relative abundance of nonsense isoforms by environmental and diurnal conditions suggests possible regulatory roles for these alternatively spliced transcripts in circadian clock function. The temperature-dependent expression of the PTC transcripts among members of CCA1/LHY subfamily indicates that alternative splicing may be involved in regulation of the clock temperature compensation mechanism. Reviewers This article was reviewed by Dr. Eugene Koonin, Dr. Chungoo Park (nominated by Dr. Kateryna Makova), and Dr. Marcelo Yanovsky (nominated by Dr. Valerian Dolja).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sergei A Filichkin
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA.
| | | |
Collapse
|