Regulating Both Splicing and Transcription

A single gene can give rise to more than one gene product through the differential splicing of messenger RNA. There has been growing evidence that this processing event may be functionally linked to RNA transcription. Auboeuf et al. report that in the case of nuclear receptors for steroid hormones, receptor-ligand interactions coordinate these processes at specific gene promoters through the recruitment of receptor coregulators that can both control gene transcription and splicing. This double-duty may ensure that the appropriate gene product is generated in response to a steroid hormone signal. D. Auboeuf, A. Hönig, S. M. Berget, B. W. O'Malley, Coordinate regulation of transcription and splicing by steroid receptor coregulators. Science 298, 416-419 (2002). [Abstract] [Full Text]