High-throughput quantification of splicing isoforms

Most human messenger RNAs (mRNAs) are alternatively spliced and many exhibit disease-specific splicing patterns. However, the contribution of most splicing events to the development and maintenance of human diseases remains unclear. As the contribution of alternative splicing events to diagnosis and prognosis is becoming increasingly recognized, it becomes important to develop precise methods to quantify the abundance of these isoforms in clinical samples. Here we present a pipeline for real-time PCR annotation of splicing events (RASE) that allows accurate identification of a large number of splicing isoforms in human tissues. The RASE automatically designed specific primer pairs for 81% of all alternative splicing events in the NCBI build 36 database. Experimentally, the majority of the RASE designed primers resulted in isoform-specific amplification suitable for quantification in human cell lines or in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) RNA extract. Using this pipeline it is now possible to rapidly identify splicing isoform signatures in different types of human tissues or to validate complete sets of data generated by microarray expression profiling and deep sequencing techniques.     

Alternative splicing and RNA selection pressure--evolutionary consequences for eukaryotic genomes

Genome-wide analyses of alternative splicing have established its nearly ubiquitous role in gene regulation in many organisms. Genome sequencing and comparative genomics have made it possible to look in detail at the evolutionary history of specific alternative exons or splice sites, resulting in a flurry of publications in recent years. Here, we consider how alternative splicing has contributed to the evolution of modern genomes, and discuss constraints on evolution associated with alternative splicing that might have important medical implications.     

Integrative genome-wide analysis reveals cooperative regulation of alternative splicing by hnRNP proteins

Understanding how RNA binding proteins control the splicing code is fundamental to human biology and disease. Here, we present a comprehensive study to elucidate how heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoparticle (hnRNP) proteins, among the most abundant RNA binding proteins, coordinate to regulate alternative pre-mRNA splicing (AS) in human cells. Using splicing-sensitive microarrays, crosslinking and immunoprecipitation coupled with high-throughput sequencing (CLIP-seq), and cDNA sequencing, we find that more than half of all AS events are regulated by multiple hnRNP proteins and that some combinations of hnRNP proteins exhibit significant synergy, whereas others act antagonistically. Our analyses reveal position-dependent RNA splicing maps, in vivo consensus binding sites, a surprising level of cross- and autoregulation among hnRNP proteins, and the coordinated regulation by hnRNP proteins of dozens of other RNA binding proteins and genes associated with cancer. Our findings define an unprecedented degree of complexity and compensatory relationships among hnRNP proteins and their splicing targets that likely confer robustness to cells.     

可变剪接的生物信息数据分析综述

前体mRNA的可变剪接是扩大真核生物蛋白质组多样性的重要基因调控机制。可变剪接的错误调节可以引起多种人类疾病。由于高通量技术的发展,生物信息学成为可变剪接研究的主要手段。本文总结了可变剪接在生物信息学领域的研究方法,同时也分析并预测了可变剪接的发展方向。     

Analysis and design of RNA sequencing experiments for identifying isoform regulation

Through alternative splicing, most human genes express multiple isoforms that often differ in function. To infer isoform regulation from high-throughput sequencing of cDNA fragments (RNA-seq), we developed the mixture-of-isoforms (MISO) model, a statistical model that estimates expression of alternatively spliced exons and isoforms and assesses confidence in these estimates. Incorporation of mRNA fragment length distribution in paired-end RNA-seq greatly improved estimation of alternative-splicing levels. MISO also detects differentially regulated exons or isoforms. Application of MISO implicated the RNA splicing factor hnRNP H1 in the regulation of alternative cleavage and polyadenylation, a role that was supported by UV cross-linking-immunoprecipitation sequencing (CLIP-seq) analysis in human cells. Our results provide a probabilistic framework for RNA-seq analysis, give functional insights into pre-mRNA processing and yield guidelines for the optimal design of RNA-seq experiments for studies of gene and isoform expression.     

Tumor microenvironment–associated modifications of alternative splicing

Pre-mRNA alternative splicing is modified in cancer, but the origin and specificity of these changes remain unclear. Here, we probed ovarian tumors to identify cancer-associated splicing isoforms and define the mechanism by which splicing is modified in cancer cells. Using high-throughput quantitative PCR, we monitored the expression of splice variants in laser-dissected tissues from ovarian tumors. Surprisingly, changes in alternative splicing were not limited to the tumor tissues but were also found in the tumor microenvironment. Changes in the tumor-associated splicing events were found to be regulated by splicing factors that are differentially expressed in cancer tissues. Overall, ∼20% of the alternative splicing events affected by the down-regulation of the splicing factors QKI and RBFOX2 were altered in the microenvironment of ovarian tumors. Together, our results indicate that the tumor microenvironment undergoes specific changes in alternative splicing orchestrated by a limited number of splicing factors.     

高通量测序数据的基因组拷贝数变异检测方法综述

拷贝数变异是指基因组中发生大片段的DNA序列的拷贝数增加或者减少。根据现有的研究可知,拷贝数变异是多种人类疾病的成因,与其发生与发展机制密切相关。高通量测序技术的出现为拷贝数变异检测提供了技术支持,在人类疾病研究、临床诊疗等领域,高通量测序技术已经成为主流的拷贝数变异检测技术。虽然不断有新的基于高通量测序技术的算法和软件被人们开发出来,但是准确率仍然不理想。本文全面地综述基于高通量测序数据的拷贝数变异检测方法,包括基于reads深度的方法、基于双末端映射的方法、基于拆分read的方法、基于从头拼接的方法以及基于上述4种方法的组合方法,深入探讨了每类不同方法的原理,代表性的软件工具以及每类方法适用的数据以及优缺点等,并展望未来的发展方向。     

Theoretical analysis of alternative splice forms using computational methods

Nowadays understanding alternative splicing is one of the greatest challenges in biology, because it is a genetic process much more important than thought at the time of its discovery. In this paper, we explain the approach of using the different available databases and software tools to start a large scale investigation of alternative splice forms. To collect information about alternative splicing we investigated known data in the databases using different computational methods. The investigations proceeded from the genomic sequence data to structural protein data. Then, we interpreted those data to find the relationship between alternative splice forms and protein function and structure. We found some interesting features of alternative splicing which are presented here. We discuss the results of one chosen example. They concern the coverage quality of the protein sequence of a known structure, an EST analysis, the validation of splice variants, the determination of the alternative splice type, and finally the link between alternative splicing and disease.