Early developmental arrest and impaired gastrointestinal homeostasis in U12-dependent splicing-defective -deficient mice.

Splicing is an essential step in eukaryotic gene expression. While the majority of introns is excised by the U2-dependent, or major class, spliceosome, the appropriate expression of a very small subset of genes depends on U12-dependent, or minor class, splicing. The U11/U12 65K protein (hereafter 65K), encoded by , is one of seven proteins that are unique to the U12-dependent spliceosome, and previous studies including our own have established that it plays a role in plant and vertebrate development.