Alternative splicing-triggered mRNA decay informs splice-switching targets for neurodevelopmental disorders

Alternative splicing-triggered nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (AS-NMD) critically regulates gene expression, but the extent to which neuronal genes are regulated by AS-NMD remains understudied. Here, we identified more than 3,000 developmentally regulated AS-NMD exons in mouse and human brains, and validated them in cultured neurons. AS-NMD suppresses synaptic genes during brain development and differentially regulates more than 200 causal genes for neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). We detected an AS-NMD exon in GRIA2 and identified splice-switching antisense oligonucleotides that suppressed GRIA2 NMD and increased its functional isoforms. In summary, this study uncovers genes repressed by AS-NMD in the brain and nominates amenable splice-switching targets for treating dominant NDDs such as autism spectrum disorders and developmental epileptic encephalopathy.