PLX175652

GSE69656: An Alternative Splicing Event Amplifies Evolutionary Differences Between Vertebrates

• Organsim human
• Type RNASEQ
• Target gene
• Project ARCHS4

Alternative splicing (AS) generates extensive transcriptomic and proteomic complexity. However, the functions of species- and lineage-specific splice variants are largely unknown. Here, we show that mammalian-specific skipping of exon 9 of PTBP1 alters its splicing regulatory activities and affects the inclusion levels of numerous exons. During neurogenesis, skipping of exon 9 reduces PTBP1 repressive activity so as to facilitate activation of a brain-specific AS program. Engineered skipping of the orthologous exon in chicken cells induces a large number of mammalian-like AS changes in PTBP1 target exons. These results thus reveal that a single exon skipping event in an RNA binding regulator directs numerous AS changes between species. The results further suggest that these changes contributed to evolutionary differences in the formation of vertebrate nervous systems. SOURCE: Serge Gueroussov (serge.gueroussov@utoronto.ca) - Dr. Benjamin Blencowe University of Toronto