Long Noncoding RNA Modulates Alternative Splicing Regulators in Arabidopsis

BARDOU, F; ARIEL, FD; SIMPSON, C; ROMERO-BARRIOS, N; LAPORTE, P; BALZERGUE, S; BROWN, J; CRESPI, M

DEVELOPMENTAL CELL

CELL PRESS

Lugar: Philadelphia; Año: 2014 vol. 30 p. 166 - 176

1534-5807

Alternative splicing (AS) of pre-mRNA represents a major mechanism underlying increased transcriptome and proteome complexity. Here, we show that the nuclear speckle  RNA-binding protein (NSR) and the AS competitor long noncoding RNA (or ASCO-lncRNA) constitute an AS regulatory module. AtNSR-GFP translational fusions are expressed in primary and lateral root (LR) meristems. Double Atnsr mutants and ASCO overexpressors exhibit an altered ability to form LRs after auxin treatment. Interestingly,auxin induces a major change in AS patterns of many genes, a response largely dependent on NSRs. RNA immunoprecipitation assays demonstrate that AtNSRs interact not only with their alternatively spliced mRNA targets but also with the ASCO-RNA in vivo. The ASCO-RNA displaces an AS target from an NSR-containing complex in vitro. Expression of ASCO-RNA in Arabidopsis affects the splicing patterns of several NSR-regulated mRNAtargets. Hence, lncRNA can hijack nuclear AS regulators to modulate AS patterns during development.