| Chimeric mRNAs fused by two previously separate genes located on different genomic loci may allow a limited number of genes to encode a substantially large number of mRNAs and proteins. The present study introduced a new method to identify chimeric mRNA and found ～670 putative chimeric mRNAs in pig, including ～30 inter-chromosomal and ～650 intra-chromosomal junction events. About 620 candidates had clear trans-splicing sites,537 of which obeyed the canonical GU-AG splice rule.We supposed a model for the fusion mechanism of chimeric mRNA, in which trans-acting factors would induce the spatial organization of parental genes to the same transcriptional factory so that parental genes would be coordinately transcribed to give birth to chimeric mRNAs.About 450 chimeric mRNAs were detected by the RNA-seq data. The transcriptional abundance of most chimeric events showed middle variances among samples and non-significant transcriptional variance between sexes. Some chimeric mRNAs were associated with functions involved in reproduction, liver, kidney, diabetes, lipid metabolism, immunity, cell proliferation, oxidative stress, muscle, metal ion and body height.Overall, the present study provided the first broad overview of chimeric mRNAs in pigs and will aid in the further understanding of the function of gene fusions... |
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