Alternative splicing of the Caenorhabditis elegans lev-11 tropomyosin gene is regulated in a tissue-specific manner

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Eichi Watabe, Tokyo Medical and Dental University; Shoichiro Ono, Emory University; Hidehito Kuroyanagi, Tokyo Medical and Dental University
• Language: English
• Date: 2018-10-01
• Publisher: Wiley: 12 months
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/cm.21489
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Cytoskeleton
• ISSN: 1949-3584
• Volume: 75
• Issue: 10
• Start Page: 427
• End Page: 436
• Grant/Funding Information: This work was supported by KAKENHI from Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan (MEXT) or the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) [Grant numbers JP20112004, JP25118506, JP26291003, JP15H01350, JP15H01467, JP15KK0252, JP17H03633 and JP17H05596] to H. K., Precursory Research for Embryonic Science and Technology (PRESTO) from Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) to H. K., and a grant from the National Institutes of Health (AR048615) to S. O.; NIH Office of Research Infrastructure Programs (P40 OD010440)
• Keywords: Life Sciences & Biomedicine; ACTIN CYTOSKELETON; FILAMENTS; isoforms; BINDING; tropomyosin; actin; MUSCLE-CONTRACTION; CAENORHABDITIS-ELEGANS; mRNA; TROPONIN-I; alternative splicing; Cell Biology; ADF/COFILIN; ISOFORMS; EXPRESSION; CHICKEN-EMBRYO FIBROBLASTS; Science & Technology
• Research Categories: Biology, Genetics; Biology, Cell

Abstract

Tropomyosin isoforms contribute to generation of functionally divergent actin filaments. In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, multiple isoforms are produced from lev-11, the single tropomyosin gene, by combination of two separate promoters and alternative pre-mRNA splicing. In this study, we report that alternative splicing of lev-11 is regulated in a tissue-specific manner so that a particular tropomyosin isoform is expressed in each tissue. Reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis of lev-11 mRNAs confirms five previously reported isoforms (LEV-11A, LEV-11C, LEV-11D, LEV-11E and LEV-11O) and identifies a new sixth isoform LEV-11T. Using transgenic alternative-splicing reporter minigenes, we find distinct patterns of preferential exon selections in the pharynx, body wall muscles, intestine and neurons. The body wall muscles preferentially process splicing to produce high-molecular-weight isoforms, LEV-11A, LEV-11D and LEV-11O. The pharynx specifically processes splicing to express a low-molecular-weight isoform LEV-11E, whereas the intestine and neurons process splicing to express another low-molecular-weight isoform LEV-11C. The splicing pattern of LEV-11T was not predominant in any of these tissues, suggesting that this is a minor isoform. Our results suggest that regulation of alternative splicing is an important mechanism to express proper tropomyosin isoforms in particular tissue and/or cell types in C. elegans.