Abstract
Alternative splicing is an important mechanism for the regulation of gene expression in eukaryotes during development, cell differentiation or stress response. Alterations in the splicing profiles of genes under high temperatures that cause heat stress (HS) can impact the maintenance of cellular homeostasis and thermotolerance. Consequently, information on factors involved in HS-sensitive alternative splicing is required to formulate the principles of HS response. Serine/arginine-rich (SR) proteins have a central role in alternative splicing. We aimed for the identification and characterization of SR-coding genes in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), a plant extensively used in HS studies. We identified 17 canonical SR and two SR-like genes. Several SR-coding genes show differential expression and altered splicing profiles in different organs as well as in response to HS. The transcriptional induction of five SR and one SR-like genes is partially dependent on the master regulator of HS response, HS transcription factor HsfA1a. Cis-elements in the promoters of these SR genes were predicted, which can be putatively recognized by HS-induced transcription factors. Further, transiently expressed SRs show reduced or steady-state protein levels in response to HS. Thus, the levels of SRs under HS are regulated by changes in transcription, alternative splicing and protein stability. We propose that the accumulation or reduction of SRs under HS can impact temperature-sensitive alternative splicing.
Highlights
Alternative splicing is an important regulatory mechanism in eukaryotes, contributing to the increase of proteome diversity and regulation of protein abundance (Reddy et al, 2013; Staiger and Brown, 2013)
Tissue-specific splicing has been shown for tomato ovule and pericarp tissues (Wang et al, 2016), while splicing complexity is higher during early fruit growth when compared to seedlings and flowers (Sun and Xiao, 2015)
This process is tightly regulated, and the occurrence of variations in alternative splicing suggests the existence of specific factors for different spliceosome compositions
Summary
Alternative splicing is an important regulatory mechanism in eukaryotes, contributing to the increase of proteome diversity and regulation of protein abundance (Reddy et al, 2013; Staiger and Brown, 2013). More than 40% of intron-containing genes in Arabidopsis thaliana (Filichkin et al, 2010), Zea mays (Thatcher et al, 2014), and Oryza sativa (Lu et al, 2010) are subjected to alternative splicing. A substantial number of genes undergo other types of alternative splicing, such as exon skipping or selection of alternative donor or acceptor sites (Ner-Gaon et al, 2004; Reddy, 2007; Filichkin et al, 2010; Lu et al, 2010; Jiang et al, 2017; Keller et al, 2017).
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