Sunjoo Jeong. Mol. Cells 2017;40:1-9. https://doi.org/10.14348/molcells.2017.2319

Recent advances in RNA biology reveal unexpected diversity and complexity of cellular RNA metabolism. RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are essential players in RNA metabolism, regulating RNA splicing, transport, surveillance, decay and translation. Aberrant expression of RBPs affects many steps of RNA metabolism, significantly altering expression of RNA. Thus, altered expression and dysfuncting of RBPs are implicated in the development of various diseases including cancer. In this minireview, we briefly describe emerging roles of RBPs as a global coordinator of post-transcriptional steps and altered RBP as a global generator of cancer related RNA alternative splicing. Identification and characterization of the RNA-RBP network would expand the scope of cellular RNA metabolism and provide novel anti-cancer therapeutic targets based on cancer specific RNA-RBP interaction.

Sewoon Kim, and Sunjoo Jeong. Mol. Cells 2019;42:8-16. https://doi.org/10.14348/molcells.2018.0436

SR proteins are well known to promote exon inclusion in regulated splicing through exonic splicing enhancers. SR proteins have also been reported to cause exon skipping, but little is known about the mechanism. We previously characterized SRSF1 (SF2/ASF)-dependent exon skipping of the CaMKIIδ gene during heart remodeling. By using mouse embryo fibroblasts derived from conditional SR protein knockout mice, we now show that SR protein-induced exon skipping depends on their prevalent actions on a flanking constitutive exon and requires collaboration of more than one SR protein. These findings, coupled with other established rules for SR proteins, provide a theoretical framework to understand the complex effect of SR protein-regulated splicing in mammalian cells. We further demonstrate that heart-specific CaMKIIδ splicing can be reconstituted in fibroblasts by downregulating SR proteins and upregulating a RBFOX protein and that SR protein overexpression impairs regulated CaMKIIδ splicing and neuronal differentiation in P19 cells, illustrating that SR protein-dependent exon skipping may constitute a key strategy for synergism with other splicing regulators in establishing tissue-specific alternative splicing critical for cell differentiation programs.

Dawon Hong and Sunjoo Jeong. Mol. Cells 2023;46:48-56. https://doi.org/10.14348/molcells.2023.0003