Alternative Splicing and Genome Evolution

Abstract

The alternative splicing of pre‐messenger ribonucleic acids is an important mechanism of proteomic diversity and plays a significant role in determining a protein's structure, function and localisation. Because of its ubiquity as a mechanism (affecting most human genes) and its broad functional role (in development and physiology), it is expected to make an important contribution to the evolution of trait complexity. Here, we consider the evolutionary consequences of this key cellular mechanism, which are being uncovered by important developments in genomic technology and methodology. Key Concepts Alternative splicing is a key cellular process driving phenotypic diversity and functional innovation. Gene duplication and other molecular processes can interact with alternative splicing in highly complex ways to drive genome evolution. Gene regulation, including alternative splicing, is thought to account for the extraordinary divergence in traits between closely related species given the small degree of molecular divergence between orthologous protein sequences. Nonsense‐mediated decay (with its conserved machinery and targets across large evolutionary time spans) can act as a quality control mechanism on alternative splicing to guard the cell against potentially deleterious gene products. In studies of the evolutionary landscape of alternative splicing (in multiple tissues across hundreds of millions of years of evolutionary time span), the identity of the species is the primary source of the variability in overall alternative splicing patterns, whereas tissue type is the main source for overall gene expression patterns.

Transcriptome analysis reveals the molecular mechanisms of heterosis on thermal resistance in hybrid abalone

“…This higher transcriptome variation in the thermal-sensitive populations has occurred in other species, including the Pacific abalone (H. discus hannai) [26], greenlip abalone (H. laevigata) [36], snail (Chlorostoma funebralis) [37], and redband trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss gairdneri) [38]. AS events can be considered as a post-transcriptional regulation that acts as an effective strategy to mediate complex biological processes [39]. It is known to change protein function by altering signals for trafficking, phosphorylation, and glycosylation [40].…”

Identification of Candidate Biomarkers for Salt Sensitivity of Blood Pressure by Integrated Bioinformatics Analysis

“…Our results may help to obtain a deeper understanding of the association between ubiquitination and sodium transport as well as SSBP. SRSF5 (serine-and arginine-rich splicing factor 5), SRSF1 (serine-and arginine-rich splicing factor 1), PNN (pinin, desmosome-associated protein), and PNISR (PNN-interacting serine-and arginine-rich protein) were considered to have marked effects on the regulation of the RNA AS process (Bush et al, 2017;Latorre and Harries, 2017). AS is a mechanism by which a single gene can generate multiple different transcripts and subsequently produce various proteins (Xu et al, 2018).…”

Genome-wide profiling of alternative splicing genes in hybrid poplar (P.alba×P.glandulosa cv.84K) leaves

“…The high AS frequencies also explain why the advanced species have more complex behaviors and adapt well to environment variation [26], and why the gene numbers do not expand indefinitely as the species evolve [27]. Further, AS can be considered as a post-transcriptional regulation mechanism that acts as an effective strategy to mediate complex biological processes such as cell differentiation and organ development [28].…”