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Related Concept Videos

Alternative RNA Splicing02:18

Alternative RNA Splicing

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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...
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RNA Splicing01:32

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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...
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Transcription01:10

Transcription

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Overview
Transcription is the process of synthesizing RNA from a DNA sequence by RNA polymerase. It is the first step in producing a protein from a gene sequence. Additionally, many other proteins and regulatory sequences are involved in the proper synthesis of messenger RNA (mRNA). Regulation of transcription is responsible for the differentiation of all the different types of cells and often for the proper cellular response to environmental signals.
Transcription Can Produce Different Kinds...
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Transcription Attenuation in Prokaryotes02:42

Transcription Attenuation in Prokaryotes

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Transcriptional attenuation occurs when RNA transcription is prematurely terminated due to the formation of a terminator mRNA hairpin structure.  Bacteria use these hairpins to regulate the transcription process and control the synthesis of several amino acids including histidine, lysine, threonine, and phenylalanine. Transcription attenuation takes place in the non-coding regions of mRNA.
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Transcription Factors02:16

Transcription Factors

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Tissue-specific transcription factors contribute to diverse cellular functions in mammals. For example, the gene for beta globin, a major component of hemoglobin, is present in all cells of the body. However, it is only expressed in red blood cells because the transcription factors that can bind to the promoter sequences of the beta globin gene are only expressed in these cells. Tissue-specific transcription factors also ensure that mutations in these factors may impair only the function of...
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Detection of Alternative Splicing During Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition
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Extensive Alternative Splicing of KIR Transcripts.

Jesse Bruijnesteijn1, Marit K H van der Wiel1, Nanine de Groot1

  • 1Comparative Genetics and Refinement, Biomedical Primate Research Centre, Rijswijk, Netherlands.

Frontiers in Immunology
|December 20, 2018
PubMed
Summary

Alternative splicing of killer-cell Ig-like receptors (KIR) in humans and macaques generates diverse protein isoforms, adding complexity to immune responses and potentially impacting health and disease.

Keywords:
KIRNK cellalternative splicinghumankiller cell immunoglobin-like receptorrhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta)

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Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Genetics
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Killer-cell Ig-like receptors (KIR) are crucial for immune response modulation via MHC class I interactions.
  • The KIR gene family exhibits significant complexity due to allelic polymorphism, copy number variation, and variable expression.
  • Previous studies highlight KIR complexity, but the role of alternative splicing remained largely unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the extent and gene dependency of alternative splicing in the KIR gene family.
  • To compare alternative splicing patterns of KIR genes between humans and rhesus macaques.
  • To understand the functional implications of KIR alternative splicing on protein diversity and immune function.

Main Methods:

  • Transcriptome analysis of human and macaque families to identify and characterize KIR gene splicing events.
  • In silico splicing strength predictions to validate experimentally observed splice events.
  • Comparative analysis of splicing profiles across different KIR genes and species.

Main Results:

  • Demonstrated differential alternative splicing across KIR family members in both humans and macaques, varying by gene.
  • Identified abundant splicing in human KIR2DL4 and lineage III KIR genes, with similar patterns observed in macaques.
  • Observed diverse splicing in Mamu-KIR1D and Mamu-KIR2DL04, and convergent evolution in Mamu-KIR3DL20, homologous to human KIR2DL5.

Conclusions:

  • Alternative splicing represents a significant layer of complexity within the primate KIR gene system.
  • This post-transcriptional process generates a wide array of KIR receptor isoforms with diverse structural and functional properties.
  • The resulting protein diversity from KIR alternative splicing may have implications for immune system function, health, and disease pathogenesis.