The Evolutionary Landscape of Alternative Splicing in Vertebrate Species

• DOI: 10.1126/science.1230612
• Publication Date: 2012-12-20T21:44:51Z
• Authors: Nuno L. Barbosa-M...; Manuel Irimia; Qun Pan; Hui Y. Xiong; Serge Gueroussov; Leo J. Lee; Valentina Slobode...; Claudia Kutter; Stephen Watt; Recep Çolak; TaeHyung Kim; Christine M. Misq...; Michael D. Wilson; Philip M. Kim; Duncan T. Odom; Brendan J. Frey; Benjamin J. Blencowe
• Keywords: Exonic splicing enhancer

Whence Species Variation? Vertebrates have widely varying phenotypes that are at odds with their much more limited proteincoding genotypes and conserved messenger RNA expression patterns. Genes multiple exons introns can undergo alternative splicing, potentially resulting in protein isoforms (see the Perspective by Papasaikas Valcárcel ). Barbosa-Morais et al. (p. 1587 ) Merkin 1593 analyzed splicing across genomes of a variety vertebrates, including human, primates, rodents, opossum, platypus, chicken, lizard, frog. The findings suggest evolution has for most part been very rapid patterns organs strongly reflect identity species rather than organ type. Species-classifying affect key regulators, often disordered regions proteins may influence protein-protein interactions, or involved phosphorylation.