Trans-splicing
joining of exons from multiple pre-mRNAs into a mature mRNA
Trans-splicing is a special form of RNA processing where exons from two different primary RNA transcripts are joined end to end and ligated. It is usually found in eukaryotes and mediated by the spliceosome, although some bacteria and archaea also have "half-genes" for tRNAs.
Genic trans-splicing
Whereas "normal" (cis-)splicing processes a single molecule, trans-splicing generates a single RNA transcript from multiple separate pre-mRNAs. This phenomenon can be exploited for molecular therapy to address mutated gene products. Genic trans-splicing allows variability in RNA diversity and increases proteome complexity.
Oncogenesis
While some fusion transcripts occur via trans-splicing in normal human cells, trans-splicing can also be the mechanism behind certain oncogenic fusion transcripts.
SL trans-splicing
Spliced leader (SL) trans-splicing is used by certain microorganisms, notably protists of the Kinetoplastea class to express genes. In these organisms, a capped splice leader RNA is transcribed, and simultaneously, genes are transcribed in long polycistrons. The capped splice leader is trans-spliced onto each gene to generate monocistronic capped and polyadenylated transcripts. These early-diverging eukaryotes use few introns, and the spliceosome they possess show some unusual variations in their structure assembly.
The public source identifies “Trans-splicing” as joining of exons from multiple pre-mRNAs into a mature mRNA. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Trans-splicing, joining and exons.
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This entry incorporates text from “Trans-splicing” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.