How alternative splicing changes the properties of plant proteins.

Most plant primary transcripts undergo alternative splicing (AS), and its impact on protein diversity is a subject of intensive investigation. Several studies have uncovered various mechanisms of how particular protein splice isoforms operate. However, the common principles behind the AS effects on protein function in plants have rarely been surveyed.

Mutually opposing activity of PIN7 splicing isoforms is required for auxin-mediated tropic responses in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Advanced transcriptome sequencing has revealed that the majority of eukaryotic genes undergo alternative splicing (AS). Nonetheless, little effort has been dedicated to investigating the functional relevance of particular splicing events, even those in the key developmental and hormonal regulators. Combining approaches of genetics, biochemistry and advanced confocal microscopy, we describe the impact of alternative splicing on the PIN7 gene in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana.

In vivo Reporters for Visualizing Alternative Splicing of Hormonal Genes.

Rapid progress in plant molecular biology in recent years has uncovered the main players in hormonal pathways and characterized transcriptomic networks associated with hormonal response. However, the role of RNA processing, in particular alternative splicing (AS), remains largely unexplored. Here, using example genes involved in cytokinin signaling, brassinosteroid synthesis and auxin transport, we present a set of reporters devised to visualize their AS events in vivo.