Computational and molecular characterization of multiple isoforms of lfe-2 gene in nematode C. elegans

C. elegans C46H11.4 gene encodes a Let-23 fertility effector/regulator protein of the EGF-receptor class of the tyrosine kinase family. Alternative splicing is a major mechanism of generating protein diversity in higher eukaryotes. C. elegans genome sequencing consortium has reported three alternatively spliced transcripts of C46H11.4 gene which encodes for three hypothetical proteins namely, C46H11.4a, C46H11.4b and C46H11.4c. Using a combination of various bioinformatics tools like gene or exon finding programmes, blast searches, alignment tools etc followed by experimental validation, we report the presence of three more alternatively spliced transcripts which encode for novel hypothetical proteins C46H11.4d, C46H11.4e and C46H11.4f. These isoforms arise as a result of alternative splicing in the pre-mRNA encoded by gene C46H11.4. These novel un-reported spliced variants not only point towards the extent of alternative splicing in C. elegans genes but also hint towards the complex nature of alternative splicing.