Coupling genetics and post-genomic approaches to decipher the cellular splicing code at a systems-wide level

Nuclear RNA processing is a critical stage in eukaryotic gene expression, and is controlled in part by the expression and concentration of nuclear RNA-binding proteins. Different nuclear RNA-binding proteins are differentially expressed in different cells, helping the spliceosome to decode pre-mRNAs into alternatively spliced mRNAs. Recent post-genomic technology has exposed the complexity of nuclear RNA processing, and is starting to reveal the mechanisms and rules through which networks of RNA-binding proteins can regulate multiple parallel pathways. Identification of multiple parallel processing pathways regulated by nuclear RNA-binding proteins is leading to a systems-wide understanding of the rules and consequences of alternative nuclear RNA processing.