Taxonomy of introns, their evolution, and the role of minor introns in stress response
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PROVIDER: PRJNA894519 | ENA |
REPOSITORIES: ENA
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Project description:Despite the high conservation of minor introns across eukaryotic supergroups, specific lineages have completely lost minor intron splicing, which has raised questions about their evolution and purpose. Addressing these questions requires identification of the introns that are affected by minor spliceosome inhibition. To this end, we applied principles of Linnaean taxonomy combined with position-weight matrices to produce five intron classes: minor, minor-like, hybrid, major-like and major. We classified introns across the genomes of 263 species of six eukaryotic supergroups, which can be viewed at the Minor Intron Database (MIDB). Transcriptomic analysis revealed that ~40% of the minor introns are responsive to minor spliceosome inhibition, while an additional 5% of the minor-like and hybrid introns are also affected. We propose that minor-like introns represent an intermediate in the conversion of minor to major introns and uncover the importance of a guanine at the -1 position of the 5’ splice site in facilitating this shift in spliceosome dependence. Finally, we find that minor introns are aberrantly spliced in fish and plants upon cold stress, thereby providing a potential explanation for their high degree of conservation in these lineages.
2024-07-01 | GSE216619 | GEO
Project description:Classification of introns, which is crucial to understanding their evolution and splicing, has historically been binary and has resulted in the naming of major and minor introns that are spliced by their namesake spliceosome. However, a broad range of intron consensus sequences exist, leading us to here reclassify introns as minor, minor-like, hybrid, major-like, major and non-canonical introns in 263 species across six eukaryotic supergroups. Through intron orthology analysis, we discovered that minor-like introns are a transitory node for intron conversion across evolution. Despite close resemblance of their consensus sequences to minor introns, these introns possess an AG dinucleotide at the -1 and -2 position of the 5' splice site, a salient feature of major introns. Through combined analysis of CoLa-seq, CLIP-seq for major and minor spliceosome components, and RNAseq from samples in which the minor spliceosome is inhibited we found that minor-like introns are also an intermediate class from a splicing mechanism perspective. Importantly, this analysis has provided insight into the sequence elements that have evolved to make minor-like introns amenable to recognition by both minor and major spliceosome components. We hope that this revised intron classification provides a new framework to study intron evolution and splicing.
| S-EPMC11347168 | biostudies-literature
Project description:U12-type introns were originally recognized based on their highly conserved non-consensus AT-AC termini1,2, which are spliced by a separate minor spliceosome3,4. Padgett and Krainer groups later showed that terminal dinucleotides do not differentiate U12-type from U2-type introns, as there are U12-type introns with GT-AG termini and U2-type introns with AT-AC termini5,6. Rather, U12-type introns are recognized by their divergent and highly conserved 5’ splice site (5’ss) and branch point sequences, which both differ from the consensus sequences found in U2-type introns. To date, no functional differences have been ascribed to AT-AC or GT-AG subtypes of U12-type introns, nor have RNAseq analyses of minor spliceosome diseases reported any subtype specificity. Here, we describe a novel protein component of the minor spliceosome, encoded by the CENATAC locus, that is required for accurate splicing of AT-AC but not GT-AG type minor introns. CENATAC was initially identified in a subset of Mosaic Variegated Aneuploidy (MVA) patients with mutations in CENATAC, which lead to chromosome congression defects during mitosis. Earlier large-scale proteomic analyses tentatively classified CENATAC as a spliceosome component and phylogenetic analyses showed co-segregation of CENATAC with minor spliceosome components. Targeted depletion of CENATAC in HeLa cells, followed by RNAseq revealed global retention of AT-AC minor subtype introns with more than 60% showing statistically significant (up to 90%) intron retention (IR). Additionally, U12-type introns with 5’-AT, but divergent 3’-terminal dinucleotides also showed significant IR. We also detected cryptic U2-type splice site activation near affected AT-AC introns. In contrast, about 10% of GT-AG subtype introns responded to CENATAC depletion. Co-IP experiments revealed that CENATAC is not a U11/U12 di-snRNP component as expected for a specificity factor, but rather associates with the U4atac/U6atac.U5 tri-snRNP via interaction with PRPF3/4, suggesting a role for minor tri-snRNP in initial 5’ss recognition. CENATAC also interacts with TXNL4B, a paralog of TXNL4A in the major tri-snRNP. Finally, several genes encoding chromosome congression factors harbor U12 AT-AC-type introns that were highly retained in CENATAC depleted cells, potentially explaining the aneuploidy phenotype observed in MVA patients.
2021-04-19 | GSE143392 | GEO
Project description:ZRSR2 is an essential splicing factor involved in 3’-splice site recognition as a component of both the major and minor spliceosomes that mediate splicing of U2- and U12-type introns, respectively. Transcriptome analysis of ZRSR2-mutated bone marrow samples and ZRSR2-knockdown cell lines has revealed its essential role in the minor spliceosome. We established a zrsr2-knockout zebrafish line, termed zrsr2hg129/hg129 (p.Trp167Argfs*9) using CRISPR/Cas9 technology. Global transcriptome analysis of 3 dpf zrsr2hg129/hg129 embryos revealed that loss of Zrsr2 leads to aberrant retention of minor introns in about one third of all minor intron-containing genes in zebrafish. Interestingly, these genes showed an enrichment for the RNA and protein processing pathways. Overall, our study has demonstrated that the role of Zrsr2 as a component of the minor spliceosome is conserved in zebrafish.
2022-09-28 | GSE193365 | GEO
Project description:Most eukaryotes harbor two distinct pre-mRNA splicing machineries: the major spliceosome, which removes >99% of introns, and the minor spliceosome, which removes rare, evolutionarily conserved introns. Although hypothesized to serve important regulatory functions, physiologic roles for the minor spliceosome are not well understood. For example, the minor spliceosome component ZRSR2 is subject to recurrent, leukemia-associated mutations, yet functional connections between minor introns, hematopoiesis, and cancers are unclear. Here, we identify that impaired minor intron excision via ZRSR2 loss enhances hematopoietic stem cell self-renewal. CRISPR screens mimicking nonsense-mediated decay of minor intron-containing mRNAs converged on LZTR1, a regulator of Ras-related GTPases. LZTR1 minor intron retention was also discovered in the RASopathy Noonan syndrome, due to intronic mutations disrupting splicing, and diverse solid tumors. These data uncover minor intron recognition as a regulator of hematopoiesis, noncoding mutations within minor introns as cancer drivers, and links between ZRSR2 mutations, LZTR1 regulation, and leukemias.
2021-02-09 | GSE149455 | GEO
Project description:Most metazoans contain two distinct pre-mRNA splicing machineries: the major spliceosome, which removes >99% of introns, and the minor spliceosome, which recognizes <1% of introns. Despite their rarity, minor introns are exquisitely conserved amongst species, suggesting important regulatory functions. However, physiologic roles for the minor spliceosome and the relevance of recurrent, leukemia-associated mutations affecting minor spliceosome components are not well understood. Here, we identify that mutational loss of the minor spliceosomal factor ZRSR2 enhances hematopoietic stem cell self-renewal via impaired minor intron splicing that converges on LZTR1, a regulator of Ras-related GTPases. LZTR1 minor intron retention is additionally observed in Noonan syndrome and diverse cancers. These data uncover minor intron recognition as a regulator of hematopoiesis and mechanistic links between ZRSR2 mutations, LZTR1, and leukemia.
2020-11-26 | GSE162136 | GEO
Project description:A novel minor spliceosome component required for splicing of AT-AC introns
| PRJNA600275 | ENA
Project description:Mutations in minor spliceosome components are linked to diseases such as Roifman syndrome, Lowry-Wood syndrome, and early-onset cerebellar ataxia (EOCA). Here we report that besides increased minor intron retention, Roifman syndrome and EOCA can also be characterized by elevated alternative splicing (AS) around minor introns. Consistent with the idea that the assembly/activity of the minor spliceosome informs AS in minor intron-containing genes (MIGs), inhibition of all minor spliceosome snRNAs led to upregulated AS. Notably, alternatively spliced MIG isoforms were bound to polysomes in the U11-null dorsal telencephalon, which suggested that aberrant MIG protein expression could contribute to disease pathogenesis. In agreement, expression of an aberrant isoform of the MIG Dctn3 by in utero electroporation, affected radial glial cell divisions. Finally, we show that AS around minor introns is executed by the major spliceosome and is regulated by U11-59K of the minor spliceosome, which forms exon-bridging interactions with proteins of the major spliceosome. Overall, we extend the exon-definition model to MIGs and postulate that disruptions of exon-bridging interactions might contribute to disease severity and pathogenesis.
2021-05-01 | GSE151141 | GEO
Project description:Mutations in minor spliceosome components are linked to diseases such as Roifman syndrome, Lowry-Wood syndrome, and early-onset cerebellar ataxia (EOCA). Here we report that besides increased minor intron retention, Roifman syndrome and EOCA can also be characterized by elevated alternative splicing (AS) around minor introns. Consistent with the idea that the assembly/activity of the minor spliceosome informs AS in minor intron-containing genes (MIGs), inhibition of all minor spliceosome snRNAs led to upregulated AS. Notably, alternatively spliced MIG isoforms were bound to polysomes in the U11-null dorsal telencephalon, which suggested that aberrant MIG protein expression could contribute to disease pathogenesis. In agreement, expression of an aberrant isoform of the MIG Dctn3 by in utero electroporation, affected radial glial cell divisions. Finally, we show that AS around minor introns is executed by the major spliceosome and is regulated by U11-59K of the minor spliceosome, which forms exon-bridging interactions with proteins of the major spliceosome. Overall, we extend the exon-definition model to MIGs and postulate that disruptions of exon-bridging interactions might contribute to disease severity and pathogenesis.
2021-05-01 | GSE151140 | GEO