Signals and their transduction pathways regulating alternative splicing: a new dimension of the human genome

The human genome project demonstrated that alternative splicing of genes is more the rule than the exception. Missplicing events are an important cause and indication of human disease. Changing alternative splicing patterns in response to an external stimulus seems to be a physiological process performed by many cells. Organisms regulate alternative splice site selection by changing the concentration and activity of splicing regulatory proteins. This is achieved by de novo protein synthesis, by regulation of the intracellular localization and by phosphorylation.