Spliceosome-mediated RNA trans -splicing in gene therapy and genomics

Abstract

In human cells, the majority of the primary transcripts synthesized by RNA polymerase II contain interruptions in the coding sequences, which are known as introns. The spliceosome, a macromolecular enzyme, precisely and efficiently removes these introns in a process known as pre-messenger RNA splicing. This enzyme is also capable of recombining two RNAs in trans in a process known as spliceosome-mediated RNA trans -splicing. In this review, we highlight technologies that take advantage of this RNA trans -splicing, from gene therapy to genomics.