Cotranscription and intergenic splicing of the PPARG and TSEN2 genes in cattle.

Background: Intergenic splicing resulting in the combination of mRNAs sequences from distinct genes is a newly identified mechanism likely to contribute to protein diversity. Few cases have been described, most of them involving neighboring genes and thus suggesting a cotranscription event presumably due to transcriptional termination bypass.

Results: We identified bovine chimeric transcripts resulting from cotranscription and intergenic splicing of two neighboring genes, PPARG and TSEN2.

Characterization of the bovine PRKAG3 gene: structure, polymorphism, and alternative transcripts.

The bovine PRKAG3 gene encodes the AMPK gamma3 subunit, one isoform of the regulatory gamma subunit of the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). The AMPK plays a major role in the regulation of energy metabolism and mutations affecting the genes encoding the gamma subunits have been shown to influence AMPK activity. The gamma3 subunit is involved in the regulation of AMPK activity in skeletal muscle and strongly influences glycogen metabolism.