Alternative splicing regulation in plant

Abstract Alternative splicing of more genes is discovered to undergo AS in plants, AS is becoming more and more significant, but relatively little is known about the processes governing AS or the effects of AS on mRNA levels and protein function. To analyze AS in several genes, we have developed a precise and repeatable RT (reverse transcription)-PCR technique. New AS occurrences have been discovered in preliminary studies, indicating that the current estimates of the frequency of AS in plants are probably too low. Alternative splicing, or AS, is a process after transcription that controls the levels of mRNA transcripts and increases the complexity of proteins to control the expression of genes. In a process known as "combinatorial control," trans-acting protein factors and cis-acting signals in pre-mRNA (precursor mRNA) transcripts interact to regulate AS. Dynamic adjustments in AS patterns are a reflection of variations in splicing factor activity, composition, and abundance in various cell types as well as in response to cellular or environmental signals. We are using a high-resolution RT-PCR technique to analyze numerous AS events at once to answer fundamental concerns about AS in plants.