Subcellular and subnuclear distribution of high-light responsive serine/arginine-rich proteins, atSR45a and atSR30, in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Here, we demonstrated the involvement of the domains in Arabidopsis high-light responsive serine/arginine-rich (SR) and SR-like proteins, atSR30 and atSR45a, respectively, in subcellular and subnuclear distribution using a series of structural domain-deleted mutants. Judging from the localization of the transiently expressed domain-deleted mutants in onion epidermal cells, the C terminal low complexity domain rich in arginine-serine repeats (C-RS) domain of atSR30 appeared to be necessary for the nuclear localization. On the other hand, the N-terminal RS (N-RS) domain of atSR45a was necessary for the accurate nuclear localization, although the N- or C-RS domain alone was sufficient for the nuclear speckled organization. The phosphorylation of RS domains of atSR45a is irrelevant to the regulation of its localization. atSR45a and atSR30 were co-localized in the speckles, suggesting their collaborative roles in the regulation of alternative splicing events.

[Alternative mRNA splicing, pathology and molecular therapeutics]. / Epissage alternatif, pathologie et thérapeutique moléculaire.

Pre-mRNA splicing operates towards at least 95 % of the transcript pool. It is subjected to a large number of variations, collectively regrouped under the term of alternative mRNA splicing, which occurs, on average, 6 to 8 times per pre-mRNA molecule. Consequently, many more proteins may be encoded from a single gene, which may satisfy a physiological need, or mark a pathological adaptation. The identification of mutations in sequences required for splicing, both constitutive and alternative, or for their control, has permitted to determine the causes of qualitative or quantitative variations in transcript levels associated with inherited diseases or cancer development. A number of molecular approaches have been undertaken to try to compensate for the effect of deleterious splicing mutations and to restore, at least in part, sufficient amounts of either the normal or a surrogate transcript. These include overexpression of splicing proteins, improvement of their activity by post-translational modification, splice-site increased or decreased usage, and RNA-mediated trans-splicing. Using such approaches, phenotypic improvements have been obtained in animal models, carrying new hopes for the development of therapeutic strategies aimed at correcting both inherited and acquired diseases that involve pre-mRNA splicing defects.