Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 26, 2026

11:48
Detection of Alternative Splicing During Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition
Published on: October 9, 2014
Quantitative regulation of alternative splicing in evolution and development.
Manuel Irimia1, Jakob L Rukov, Scott W Roy
1Departament de Genètica, and Institut de Biomedicina (IBUB), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. mirimia@gmail.com
Summary
The regulation of alternative splicing (AS) is highly conserved across species, indicating its crucial role in gene function. Understanding AS evolution sheds light on genetic novelty and complex gene regulatory networks.
Area of Science:
- Genomics
- Evolutionary Biology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Alternative splicing (AS) generates proteome diversity from a single gene.
- Previous research focused on AS sequence/pattern conservation, with less known about regulatory evolution.
Purpose of the Study:
- To categorize AS evolution levels.
- To summarize recent progress in understanding AS regulatory evolution.
- To explore the role of AS regulation in gene networks and novelty.
Main Methods:
- Review and synthesis of existing studies on alternative splicing regulation evolution.
- Categorization of different evolutionary levels of AS.
- Analysis of conservation patterns in AS regulatory elements.
Main Results:
- AS regulation shows high evolutionary conservation between related species.
- Quantitative regulation of AS appears integral to its function.
- Evolutionary changes in developmental AS regulation contribute to genetic novelty.
Conclusions:
- The conserved nature of AS regulation highlights its functional importance.
- AS regulatory evolution offers insights into gene regulatory networks.
- Changes in AS regulation can drive the emergence of new genetic traits.
Related Concept Videos
Alternative RNA Splicing
Alternative RNA splicing is the regulated splicing of exons and introns to produce different mature mRNAs from a single pre-mRNA. Unlike in constitutive splicing where a single gene produces a single type of mRNA, alternative splicing allows an organism to produce multiple proteins from a single gene and plays an important role in protein diversity.
There are five types of alternative RNA splicing that vary in the ways the pre-mRNA segments are removed or retained in the mature mRNA. The first...
There are five types of alternative RNA splicing that vary in the ways the pre-mRNA segments are removed or retained in the mature mRNA. The first...
Alternative RNA Splicing
Alternative RNA splicing is the regulated splicing of exons and introns to produce different mature mRNAs from a single pre-mRNA. Unlike in constitutive splicing where a single gene produces a single type of mRNA, alternative splicing allows an organism to produce multiple proteins from a single gene and plays an important role in protein diversity.
There are five types of alternative RNA splicing that vary in the ways the pre-mRNA segments are removed or retained in the mature mRNA. The first...
There are five types of alternative RNA splicing that vary in the ways the pre-mRNA segments are removed or retained in the mature mRNA. The first...
RNA Splicing
Splicing is the process by which eukaryotic RNA is edited before its translation into protein. The RNA strand transcribed from eukaryotic DNA is called the primary transcript. The primary transcripts that become mRNAs are called precursor messenger RNAs (pre-mRNAs). Eukaryotic pre-mRNA contains alternating sequences of exons and introns. Exons are nucleotide sequences that code for proteins, whereas introns are the non-coding regions. In RNA splicing, introns are removed and exons are bonded...
RNA Splicing
Splicing is the process by which eukaryotic RNA is edited before its translation into protein. The RNA strand transcribed from eukaryotic DNA is called the primary transcript. The primary transcripts that become mRNAs are called precursor messenger RNAs (pre-mRNAs). Eukaryotic pre-mRNA contains alternating sequences of exons and introns. Exons are nucleotide sequences that code for proteins, whereas introns are the non-coding regions. In RNA splicing, introns are removed and exons are bonded...
Chromatin Structure Regulates pre-mRNA Processing
In eukaryotic cells, nascent mRNA transcripts need to undergo many post-transcriptional modifications to reach the cell cytoplasm and translate into functional proteins. For a long time, transcription and pre-mRNA processing were considered two independent events that occur sequentially in the cell. However, it has now been well established that transcription and pre-mRNA processing are two simultaneous processes that are precisely regulated inside the cell.
The chromatin structure, especially...
The chromatin structure, especially...
What is Gene Expression?
A gene is a stretch of DNA that serves as the blueprint for functional RNAs and proteins. Since DNA is comprised of nucleotides and proteins are comprised of amino acids, a mediator is required to convert the information encoded in DNA into proteins. This mediator is the messenger RNA (mRNA). mRNA copies the blueprint from DNA by a process called transcription. In eukaryotes, transcription occurs in the nucleus by complementary base-pairing with the DNA template. The mRNA is then processed and...

