Department of Genetics, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel.
Biochim Biophys Acta Gene Regul Mech. 2019 Nov-Dec;1862(11-12):194406. doi: 10.1016/j.bbagrm.2019.07.007. Epub 2019 Jul 16.
Splicing and alternative splicing (AS), which occur in the endogenous spliceosome, play major roles in regulating gene expression, and defects in them are involved in numerous human diseases including cancer. Although the mechanism of the splicing reaction is well understood, the regulation of AS remains to be elucidated. A group of essential regulatory factors in gene expression are small non-coding RNAs (sncRNA): e.g. microRNA, mainly known for their inhibitory role in translation in the cytoplasm; and small nucleolar RNA, known for their role in methylating non-coding RNA in the nucleolus. Here I highlight a new aspect of sncRNAs found within the endogenous spliceosome. Assembled in non-canonical complexes and through different base pairing than their canonical ones, spliceosomal sncRNAs can potentially target different RNAs. Examples of spliceosomal sncRNAs regulating AS, regulating gene expression, and acting in a quality control of AS are reviewed, suggesting novel functions for spliceosomal sncRNAs. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: RNA structure and splicing regulation edited by Francisco Baralle, Ravindra Singh and Stefan Stamm.
剪接和选择性剪接（AS）发生在内源性剪接体中，在调节基因表达中发挥着重要作用，它们的缺陷与包括癌症在内的许多人类疾病有关。尽管剪接反应的机制已经很清楚，但 AS 的调节仍有待阐明。一组在基因表达中起关键调节作用的因子是小非编码 RNA（sncRNA）：例如，microRNA，主要以其在细胞质中抑制翻译的作用而闻名；和小核仁 RNA，以其在核仁中甲基化非编码 RNA 的作用而闻名。在这里，我强调了内源性剪接体中发现的 sncRNA 的一个新方面。组装在非规范复合物中，并通过与规范序列不同的碱基配对，剪接体 sncRNA 可能靶向不同的 RNA。综述了剪接体 sncRNA 调节 AS、调节基因表达和作为 AS 质量控制的作用的例子，这表明剪接体 sncRNA 具有新的功能。本文是由 Francisco Baralle、Ravindra Singh 和 Stefan Stamm 编辑的题为“RNA 结构和剪接调控”的特刊的一部分。
