Pre-RNA splicing in metabolic homeostasis and liver disease
Andrew M Jobbins, Sijia Yu, Helen A.B. Paterson, Hannah Maude, Antonia Kefala-Stavridi, Christian Speck, Inês Cebola, Santiago Vernia
Abstract
The liver plays a key role in sensing nutritional and hormonal inputs to maintain metabolic homeostasis. Recent studies into pre-mRNA splicing and alternative splicing (AS) and their effects on gene expression have revealed considerable transcriptional complexity in the liver, both in health and disease. While the contribution of these mechanisms to cell and tissue identity is widely accepted, their role in physiological and pathological contexts within tissues is just beginning to be appreciated. In this review, we showcase recent studies on the splicing and AS of key genes in metabolic pathways in the liver, the effect of metabolic signals on the spliceosome, and therapeutic intervention points based on RNA splicing.