Comprehensive analysis of the Kinetoplastea intron landscape reveals a novel intron-containing gene and the first exclusively trans-splicing eukaryote
All three intron-containing genes identified in Kinetoplastea encode RNA-interacting proteins, with a potential to fine-tune the expression of multiple genes, thus challenging the perception of cis-splicing in these protists as a mere evolutionary relic. We suggest that there is a selective pressure to retain cis-splicing in trypanosomatids and that this is likely associated with overall control of mRNA processing. Our study provides new insights into the evolution of introns and, consequently, the regulation of gene expression in eukaryotes.
Authors
- Vyacheslav Yurchenko (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4765-3263)
- Alexei Yu. Kostygov (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1516-437X)
- Anzhelika Butenko (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8685-2404)
- Mark C. Field (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4866-2885)
- Julius Lukeš (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0578-6618)
- Elora Kalita (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0799-7486)
- Karolína Skýpalová
- Natalia Kraeva (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4948-6024)
- Cameron W. McLeod
Institutions
- Sewanee: The University of the South (US)
- University of Dundee (GB)
- University of Ostrava (CZ)
- Czech Academy of Sciences (CZ)
- Zoological Institute (RU)
- University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice (CZ)
- Institute of Parasitology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SK)
- Institute of Parasitology (CZ)
Publication Details
- Journal
- BMC Biology
- Published
- 2024-12-03
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s12915-024-02080-z
- Citations
- 9
- Primary Topic
- Trypanosoma species research and implications
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 3.48
Funders
- Ostravská Univerzita v Ostravě