Laboratory of Veterinary Physiology, Department of Joint Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences, Gifu University, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu 501-1193, Japan.
Int J Mol Sci. 2020 Oct 14;21(20):7599. doi: 10.3390/ijms21207599.
Multiple mRNA isoforms are often generated during processing such as alternative splicing of precursor mRNAs (pre-mRNA), resulting in a diversity of generated proteins. Alternative splicing is an essential mechanism for the functional complexity of eukaryotes. Temperature, which is involved in all life activities at various levels, is one of regulatory factors for controlling patterns of alternative splicing. Temperature-dependent alternative splicing is associated with various phenotypes such as flowering and circadian clock in plants and sex determination in poikilothermic animals. In some specific situations, temperature-dependent alternative splicing can be evoked even in homothermal animals. For example, the splicing pattern of mRNA for a cold shock protein, cold-inducible RNA-binding protein (CIRP or CIRBP), is changed in response to a marked drop in body temperature during hibernation of hamsters. In this review, we describe the current knowledge about mechanisms and functions of temperature-dependent alternative splicing in plants and animals. Then we discuss the physiological significance of hypothermia-induced alternative splicing of a cold shock protein gene in hibernating and non-hibernating animals.
在加工过程中，例如前体 mRNA（pre-mRNA）的选择性剪接，通常会产生多个 mRNA 异构体，从而产生多种蛋白质。选择性剪接是真核生物功能复杂性的重要机制。温度是参与各种生命活动的因素之一，是控制选择性剪接模式的调节因子之一。温度依赖性选择性剪接与植物的开花和生物钟以及变温动物的性别决定等各种表型有关。在某些特定情况下，即使在恒温动物中也可以引发温度依赖性选择性剪接。例如，在仓鼠冬眠期间，体温明显下降时，冷休克蛋白冷诱导 RNA 结合蛋白（CIRP 或 CIRBP）的 mRNA 的剪接模式发生变化。在这篇综述中，我们描述了关于植物和动物中温度依赖性选择性剪接的机制和功能的最新知识。然后，我们讨论了在冬眠和非冬眠动物中低温诱导冷休克蛋白基因选择性剪接的生理意义。
