STAR family RNA-binding protein ASD-2 regulates developmental switching of mutually exclusive alternative splicing in vivo

Genes Dev. 2008 Feb 1;22(3):360-74. doi: 10.1101/gad.1620608. Epub 2008 Jan 29.

Abstract

Alternative splicing of pre-mRNAs greatly contributes to the spatiotemporal diversity of gene expression in metazoans. However, the molecular basis of developmental regulation and the precise sequence of alternative pre-mRNA processing in vivo are poorly understood. In the present study, we focus on the developmental switching of the mutually exclusive alternative splicing of the let-2 gene of Caenorhabditis elegans from the exon 9 form in embryos to the exon 10 form in adults. By visualizing the usage of the let-2 mutually exclusive exons through differential expression of green fluorescent protein (GFP) and red fluorescent protein (RFP), we isolated several switching-defective mutants and identified the alternative splicing defective-2 (asd-2) gene, encoding a novel member of the evolutionarily conserved STAR (signal transduction activators of RNA) family of RNA-binding proteins. Comparison of the amounts of partially spliced let-2 RNAs in synchronized wild-type and asd-2 mutant worms suggested that either of the introns downstream from the let-2 mutually exclusive exons is removed prior to the removal of the upstream ones, and that asd-2 promotes biased excision of intron 10 in the late larval stages. We propose that the developmental switching between alternative sequences of intron removal determines the ratio between the mature let-2 mRNA isoforms.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Alternative Splicing*
  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Caenorhabditis elegans / embryology
  • Caenorhabditis elegans / growth & development
  • Caenorhabditis elegans / physiology*
  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / genetics
  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / physiology*
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Mutation
  • RNA-Binding Proteins / physiology*

Substances

  • ASD-2 protein, C elegans
  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins
  • RNA-Binding Proteins