31In this study, we identified reproducible substructures in the folded structures of long intron 32 RNAs for recursive spliced variants and annotated pre-mRNA for GABRB3 and GABRA5. We 33 mapped the RNA motives recognized by RNA-binding proteins for the specified locus and 34 characterized the area of preferred localization. A comparison of pre-mRNA variants revealed the 35 dominant type of protein potential effects. We determined the structural specifics of RNA in the 36 dense Alu cluster and clarified the analogy of apical substructure to the A-Xist fragment of 37 transcriptional variant. Mapping of the nucleosome potential reveals alternation of strong and weak 38 signals at the 3'-end portion of GABRB3 and clusters of nucleosome positioning signal in the 39 vicinity of the Alu cluster. Distribution of simple oligonucleotides among reproducible 40 substructures revealed an enrichment in Py-tracts; for some of them, this may be considered as a 41 complementary supplement to the Pu-tract enrichment of ncRNA Malat1 as a component of nuclear 42 speckles. The secondary structure elements of bidirectional transcripts are predisposed for somatic 43 homolog pairing in this locus, as was previously shown experimentally. 44 A model of potential intron RNA influence on splicing has been suggested based on its interaction 45 with Py-tract-binding RNP, serine-arginine SRSF proteins, ncRNA Malat1, as well as the action of 46 Alu cluster.47 49 The splicing model for exons surrounded by long introns is based on the assumption of a 50 pre-assembly of future spliceosome elements [1]. Splicing processes are assisted by components of 51 other processes, such as transcription (RNA-Pol II CTD) and chromosomal activation [2-6],
52including the SAGA and SWI/SNF complexes [7][8][9][10][11][12]. A large fraction of introns spanning 53 thousands of nucleotides participates in co-transcriptional splicing (coTS) without hindering 54 splicing [13]; however, among them, there is a fraction (up to 20%) that may be subject to splicing 55 at the post-transcriptional level (postTS) [14,15]. For example, the first long intron(s) is removed 3 56 from pre-mRNA more slowly than the others [14] and thus is the first candidate for postTS. The 57 role of the large introns themselves, at least of their main portion, remains poorly understood in the 58 splicing process. Still, a separate facet of the interaction has long been known, namely, that the 59 association between the nascent RNA and splicing factors in the nucleus is intron-dependent [16].
60The significance of long introns is emphasized by the phenomenon of protecting long pre-mRNAs 61 from premature cleavage and polyadenylation [17][18]. The role of long introns can be clarified 62 by identifying the interaction of pre-mRNA (annotated as coding and/or in silico predicted RNA) 63 with RNA-binding proteins and other RNAs, for example, non-coding RNA, pertaining to 64 spliceosome pre-assembly. Non-coding RNA Malat1 is associated with recruitment of SR family 65 pre-mRNA-splicing factors from n...