PUBLICATION

Alternative Splicing and Nonsense-Mediated Decay of a Zebrafish GABA Receptor Subunit Transcript

Authors
Moisan, G.J., Kamath, N., Apgar, S., Schwehr, M., Vedmurthy, P., Conner, O., Hayes, K., Toro, C.P.
ID
ZDB-PUB-231002-120
Date
2023
Source
Zebrafish   21(2): 198-205 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Toro, Cecilia
Keywords
Cys-loop receptor, GABA receptor, alternative splicing, nonsense-mediated decay, zebrafish
MeSH Terms
  • Alternative Splicing*
  • Animals
  • Codon, Nonsense
  • Cysteine Loop Ligand-Gated Ion Channel Receptors*/genetics
  • Receptors, GABA/genetics
  • Zebrafish/genetics
  • gamma-Aminobutyric Acid/genetics
PubMed
37751193 Full text @ Zebrafish
Abstract
The superfamily of Cys-loop ionotropic neurotransmitter receptors includes those that detect GABA, glutamate, glycine, and acetylcholine. There is ample evidence that many Cys-loop receptor subunit genes include alternatively spliced exons. In this study, we report a novel example of alternative splicing (AS): we show that the 68-bp exon 3 in the zebrafish gabrr2b gene-which codes for the ρ2b GABAAR subunit-is an alternative cassette exon. Skipping of gabrr2b exon 3 results in a downstream frame shift and a premature termination codon (PTC). We provide evidence in larval zebrafish that transcripts containing the PTC are subject to degradation through nonsense-mediated decay. We also compile reports of AS of homologous exons in other Cys-loop receptor genes in multiple species. Our data add to a large body of research demonstrating that exon 3 in Cys-loop receptor genes is a conserved site for AS, the effects of which can vary from novel splice-isoform generation to downregulation of gene expression through transcript degradation.
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