The Arabidopsis lic1 mutant uncovers a widespread role for arginine methyltransferase 5 in the regulation of alternative splicing in plants and animals

SABRINA E. SANCHEZ; EZEQUIEL PETRILLO; ESTEBAN HERNANDO; MATÍAS RUGNONE; XU ZHANG; JUSTIN BOREVITZ; ESTEBAN BECKWITH; CRAIG SIMPSON; JOHN BROWN; FERNANDA CERIANI; PABLO CERDÁN; ALBERTO KORNBLIHTT; PALOMA MAS; MARCELO J. YANOVSKY

Janelia Farm, Aushburn-Virginia, USA

Otro; Howard Hughes Medical Institute 2009 Meeting: From single molecules to whole animals.; 2009

Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5) symmetrically methylates histone and non-histone proteins, such as spliceosomal Sm-proteins. Although a role for PRMT5 in the epigenetic regulation of gene expression is well known, whether and how PRMT5 affects splicing remains uncertain. Here we show that mutations in prmt5 lengthened the period of multiple circadian rhythms in Arabidopsis. The circadian phenotype of the mutant was associated with defective regulation of alternative splicing of the central clock gene PRR9. PRMT5 also contributed to the regulation of circadian rhythms of locomotor behavior and alternative splicing of the clock gene PERIOD in Drosophila. Genome wide analysis using Affymetrix tiling arrays revealed alterations in alternative splicing regulation spread throughout the genome, but restricted to a few hundred genes in Arabidopsis and Drosophila. The interplay between the circadian system and the regulation of alternative splicing mediated by PRMT5 adds a new layer of complexity to the mechanisms by which plants and animals adjust physiological functions in anticipation of predictive changes in environmental conditions.