Autoregulation of RBM10 and cross-regulation of RBM10/RBM5 via alternative splicing-coupled nonsense-mediated decay

Mutations in the spliceosomal RNA binding protein RBM10 cause TARP syndrome and are frequently observed in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). We have previously shown that RBM10 enhances exon skipping of its target genes, including its paralog RBM5. Here, we report that RBM10 negatively regulates its own mRNA and protein expression and that of RBM5 by promoting alternative splicing-coupled nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (AS-NMD). Through computational analysis and experimental validation, we identified RBM10-promoted skipping of exon 6 or 12 in RBM10 and exon 6 or 16 in RBM5 as the underlying AS-NMD events. Importantly, we showed that LUAD-associated mutations affecting splice sites of RBM10 exons 6 or 12 abolished exon inclusion and correlated with reduced expression of RBM10 RNA. Together, our investigations have revealed novel molecular mechanisms underlying RBM10 autoregulation and cross-regulation of RBM5, thereby providing insights concerning the functions of RBM10 under various physiological and pathological conditions. Our combined computational and experimental approach should be useful for elucidating the role of AS-NMD in auto- and cross-regulation by other splicing regulators.