Enteric infection induces Lark-mediated intron retention at the 5' end of Drosophila genes.

Background: RNA splicing is a key post-transcriptional mechanism that generates protein diversity and contributes to the fine-tuning of gene expression, which may facilitate adaptation to environmental challenges. Here, we employ a systems approach to study alternative splicing changes upon enteric infection in females from classical Drosophila melanogaster strains as well as 38 inbred lines.

Results: We find that infection leads to extensive differences in isoform ratios, which results in a more diverse transcriptome with longer 5' untranslated regions (5'UTRs).