The role of enhancers in alternative splicing

Splicing of precursor mRNA (pre-mRNA) is a critical regulatory step in gene expression. The process of alternative splicing enables the production of multiple protein isoforms from a single pre-mRNA molecule by the combinatorial use of splice sites. Our lab studies the role of chromatin in the regulation of alternative splicing. In our previous work we revealed the importance of chromatin in the promoter and inside the gene for alternative splicing. Our recent work looks at chromatin structure at the gene’s enhancer and its effect on alternative splicing. We found that transcription factors binding the enhancer can change RNA polII elongation rate and as a consequence alter alternative splicing. Our results indicate that enhancers are regulators of general mRNA processing, mediating the level of the transcript as well as its identity.