Abstract:

Recursive splicing refers to the biological process that long introns are removed in multiple steps during pre-mRNA splicing. In comparison to large introns (>10 kb), most introns in higher eukaryotic genomes are removed in one step during transcription. Previous studies have revealed that recursive splicing events play important roles in many biological processes, including the pathogenesis and development of diseases. In recent years, more researchers have focused on recursive splicing events and found that recursive splicing occurs in Drosophila and many other vertebrates. Multiple recursive splicing sites have been predicted by different bioinformatics methods and verified by experiments. Current researches focus on the process of recursive splicing, recursive splicing site recognition and its influence on biological processes. In this review, we summarize the molecular mechanism of recursive splicing events in eukaryotic genomes and the present development in this field, aiming to lay the basis for further understanding of the mechanisms of RNA splicing.

Key words: recursive splicing, lariat structure, RS-sites, Total RNA-seq