Splicing repression allows the gradual emergence of new Alu-exons in primate evolution
- Alu elements are retrotransposons that frequently form new exons during primate evolution. Here, we assess the interplay of splicing repression by hnRNPC and nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) in the quality control and evolution of new Alu-exons. We identify 3100 new Alu-exons and show that NMD more efficiently recognises transcripts with Alu-exons compared to other exons with premature termination codons. However, some Alu-exons escape NMD, especially when an adjacent intron is retained, highlighting the importance of concerted repression by splicing and NMD. We show that evolutionary progression of 3' splice sites is coupled with longer repressive uridine tracts. Once the 3' splice site at ancient Alu-exons reaches a stable phase, splicing repression by hnRNPC decreases, but the exons generally remain sensitive to NMD. We conclude that repressive motifs are strongest next to cryptic exons and that gradual weakening of these motifs contributes to the evolutionary emergence of new alternative exons.
Author: | Jan Attig, Igor Ruiz de los Mozos, Nejc Haberman, Zhen Wang, Warren Emmett, Katharina ZarnackORCiDGND, Julian KönigORCiDGND, Jernej Ule |
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URN: | urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-447175 |
DOI: | https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.19545 |
ISSN: | 2050-084X |
Pubmed Id: | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27861119 |
Parent Title (English): | eLife |
Publisher: | eLife Sciences Publications |
Place of publication: | Cambridge |
Contributor(s): | Benjamin J. Blencowe |
Document Type: | Article |
Language: | English |
Date of Publication (online): | 2017/11/02 |
Year of first Publication: | 2016 |
Publishing Institution: | Universitätsbibliothek Johann Christian Senckenberg |
Release Date: | 2017/11/02 |
Tag: | Alu elements; evolutionary biology; exon evolution; genomics; human; nonsense mediated mRNA decay; pre-mRNA processing; splicing fidelity |
Volume: | 5 |
Issue: | e19545 |
Page Number: | 27 |
First Page: | 1 |
Last Page: | 27 |
Note: | Copyright Attig et al. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use and redistribution provided that the original author and source are credited. |
HeBIS-PPN: | 424951800 |
Institutes: | Exzellenzcluster / Exzellenzcluster Makromolekulare Komplexe |
Dewey Decimal Classification: | 5 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik / 57 Biowissenschaften; Biologie / 570 Biowissenschaften; Biologie |
Sammlungen: | Universitätspublikationen |
Licence (German): | Creative Commons - Namensnennung 4.0 |