RESUMEN
Alternative splicing in the 3'UTR of mammalian genes plays a crucial role in diverse biological processes, including cell differentiation and development. SAM68 is a key splicing regulator that controls the diversity of 3'UTR isoforms through alternative last exon (ALE) selection. However, the tissue/cell type-specific mechanisms underlying the splicing control at the 3' end and its functional significance remain unclear. Here, we show that SAM68 regulates ALE splicing in a dose-dependent manner and the neuronal splicing is differentially regulated depending on the characteristics of the target transcript. Specifically, we found that SAM68 regulates interleukin-1 receptor-associated protein splicing through the interaction with U1 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein. In contrast, the ALE splicing of protocadherin-15 (Pcdh15), a gene implicated in several neuropsychiatric disorders, is independent of U1 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein but modulated by the calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase signaling pathway. We found that the aberrant ALE selection of Pcdh15 led to a conversion from a membrane-bound to a soluble isoform and consequently disrupted its localization into excitatory and inhibitory synapses. Notably, the neuronal expression of the soluble form of PCDH15 preferentially affected the number of inhibitory synapses. Moreover, the soluble form of PCDH15 interacted physically with α-neurexins and further disrupted neuroligin-2-induced inhibitory synapses in artificial synapse formation assays. Our findings provide novel insights into the role of neuron-specific alternative 3'UTR isoform selections in synapse development.
RESUMEN
Pre-mRNA splicing is an indispensable mechanism for eukaryotic gene expression. Splicing inhibition causes cell cycle arrest at the G1 and G2/M phases, and this is thought to be one of the reasons for the potent antitumor activity of splicing inhibitors. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the cell cycle arrest have many unknown aspects. In particular, the mechanism of G2/M-phase arrest caused by splicing inhibition is completely unknown. Here, we found that lower and higher concentrations of pladienolide B caused M-phase and G2-phase arrest, respectively. We analyzed protein levels of cell cycle regulators and found that a truncated form of the p27 cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, named p27*, accumulated in G2-arrested cells. Overexpression of p27* caused partial G2-phase arrest. Conversely, knockdown of p27* accelerated exit from G2/M phase after washout of splicing inhibitor. These results suggest that p27* contributes to G2/M-phase arrest caused by splicing inhibition. We also found that p27* bound to and inhibited M-phase cyclins, although it is well known that p27 regulates the G1/S transition. Intriguingly, p27*, but not full-length p27, was resistant to proteasomal degradation and remained in G2/M phase. These results suggest that p27*, which is a very stable truncated protein in G2/M phase, contributes to G2-phase arrest caused by splicing inhibition.