Intron Retention via Alternative Splicing as a Signature of Aging

In recent years researchers have investigated changes in alternative splicing in the context of aging and age-related disease. It is thought to be important in cellular senescence, for example, but that is just one line item in the bigger picture. A given gene can code for multiple different proteins, and alternative splicing is the name given to the processes by which those different proteins are produced. A gene contains discrete DNA sequences called exons and introns, the former passed into the protein production process, and the latter removed during RNA splicing. The canonical protein produced from this genetic blueprint contains all of the exons, joined in sequence, but alternative splicing may drop exons, resulting in a different protein. The balance between the proteins produced from a given gene tends to shift with age. This might be a harmful downstream consequence of underlying molecular damage, or an evolved reaction to attempt to compensate for that damage in some way. All too little mapping of these age-related changes in alternative splicing has been carried out, but we might regard it as yet another form of gene expression regulation, akin to epigenetic changes that alter the pace of production of proteins. Intron retention is another possible form of alternative splicing. Instead of an intron being removed, it is included in the process of producing a protein. This also results in a different protein with different characteristics. In today's op...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs