Mechanistic control of carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule-1 (CEACAM1) splice isoforms by the heterogeneous nuclear ribonuclear proteins hnRNP L, hnRNP A1, and hnRNP M

Carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule-1 (CEACAM1) is expressed in a variety of cell types and is implicated in carcinogenesis. Alternative splicing of CEACAM1 pre-mRNA generates two cytoplasmic domain splice variants characterized by the inclusion (L-isoform) or exclusion (S-isoform) of exon 7. Here we show that the alternative splicing of CEACAM1 pre-mRNA is regulated by novel cis elements residing in exon 7. We report the presence of three exon regulatory elements that lead to the inclusion or exclusion of exon 7 CEACAM1 mRNA in ZR75 breast cancer cells. Heterologous splicing reporter assays demonstrated that the maintenance of authentic alternative splicing mechanisms were independent of the CEACAM1 intron sequence context. We show that forced expression of these exon regulatory elements could alter CEACAM1 splicing in HEK-293 cells. Using RNA affinity chromatography, three members of the heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein family (hnRNP L, hnRNP A1, and hnRNP M) were identified. RNA immunoprecipitation of hnRNP L and hnRNP A1 revealed a binding motif located central and 3' to exon 7, respectively. Depletion of hnRNP A1 or L by RNAi in HEK-293 cells promoted exon 7 inclusion, whereas overexpression led to exclusion of the variable exon. By contrast, overexpression of hnRNP M showed exon 7 inclusion and production of CEACAM1-L mRNA. Finally, stress-induced cytoplasmic accumulation of hnRNP A1 in MDA-MB-468 cells dynamically alters the CEACAM1-S:CEACAM1:L ratio in favor of the l-isoform. Thus, we have elucidated the molecular factors that control the mechanism of splice-site recognition in the alternative splicing regulation of CEACAM1.     

Diverse roles of hnRNP L in mammalian mRNA processing: a combined microarray and RNAi analysis

Alternative mRNA splicing patterns are determined by the combinatorial control of regulator proteins and their target RNA sequences. We have recently characterized human hnRNP L as a global regulator of alternative splicing, binding to diverse C/A-rich elements. To systematically identify hnRNP L target genes on a genome-wide level, we have combined splice-sensitive microarray analysis and an RNAi-knockdown approach. As a result, we describe 11 target genes of hnRNP L that were validated by RT-PCR and that represent several new modes of hnRNP L-dependent splicing regulation, involving both activator and repressor functions: first, intron retention; second, inclusion or skipping of cassette-type exons; third, suppression of multiple exons; and fourth, alternative poly(A) site selection. In sum, this approach revealed a surprising diversity of splicing-regulatory processes as well as poly(A) site selection in which hnRNP L is involved.     

Design and application of circular RNAs with protein-sponge function

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a class of noncoding RNAs, generated from pre-mRNAs by circular splicing of exons and functionally largely uncharacterized. Here we report on the design, expression, and characterization of artificial circRNAs that act as protein sponges, specifically binding and functionally inactivating hnRNP (heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein) L. HnRNP L regulates alternative splicing, depending on short CA-rich RNA elements. We demonstrate that designer hnRNP L-sponge circRNAs with CA-repeat or CA-rich sequence clusters can efficiently and specifically modulate splicing-regulatory networks in mammalian cells, including alternative splicing patterns and the cellular distribution of a splicing factor. This new strategy can in principle be applied to any RNA-binding protein, opening up new therapeutic strategies in molecular medicine.