Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 25, 2026

Detection of Alternative Splicing During Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition
Published on: October 9, 2014
The Alternative Splicing Regulator Nova2 Constrains Vascular Erk Signaling to Limit Specification of the Lymphatic
Sungmin Baek1, Tae Gyu Oh2, Genevieve Secker3
1Division of Genomics of Development and Disease, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4073, Australia.
Abstract:
The correct assignment of cell fate within fields of multipotent progenitors is essential for accurate tissue diversification. The first lymphatic vessels arise from pre-existing veins after venous endothelial cells become specified as lymphatic progenitors. Prox1 specifies lymphatic fate and labels these progenitors; however, the mechanisms restricting Prox1 expression and limiting the progenitor pool remain unknown. We identified a zebrafish mutant that displayed premature, expanded, and prolonged lymphatic specification. The gene responsible encodes the regulator of alternative splicing, Nova2. In zebrafish and human endothelial cells, Nova2 selectively regulates pre-mRNA splicing for components of signaling pathways and phosphoproteins. Nova2-deficient endothelial cells display increased Mapk/Erk signaling, and Prox1 expression is dynamically controlled by Erk signaling. We identify a mechanism whereby Nova2-regulated splicing constrains Erk signaling, thus limiting lymphatic progenitor cell specification. This identifies the capacity of a factor that tunes mRNA splicing to control assignment of cell fate during vascular differentiation.
Related Concept Videos
Alternative RNA Splicing
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
RNA Splicing
Seedless Vascular Plants
Chromatin Structure Regulates pre-mRNA Processing
The chromatin structure, especially...
Regulation of Expression Occurs at Multiple Steps
Transcription results in the generation of precursor (pre-mRNA) that consists of both exons and introns, which needs further processing before being translated to a...

