今天这篇文章发表于2014年的Molecular Cell，题目为：Functional Consequences of Splicing of the Antisense Transcript COOLAIR on FLC Transcription

文章主要内容：FLC基因一系列的反义转录本COOLAIR，通过可变剪接调控FLC基因的表达，进而调节拟南芥开花。

反义转录在许多基因组中广泛存在；然而，对于其功能一直存在激辩。我们正在研究在拟南芥开花基因FLC产生的一组长的非编码反义转录本（统称为COOLAIR）的功能。COOLAIR始于主要正义转录本poly（A）位点的下游，终止或者延伸到FLC启动子区域。我们发现，COOLAIR的剪接在功能上是重要的。通过分析核心剪接体组分PRP8中的一种亚等位基因突变揭示了其重要功能。prp8突变体干扰了连接COOLAIR加工与FLC基因组蛋白去甲基化共转录反馈机制，进而减少FLC转录。通过破坏COOLAIR产生和突变COOLAIR近侧剪接受体位点，进一步证实了COOLAIR剪接在这种抑制机制中的重要性。我们的研究结果表明，长链非编码转录本的可变剪接，可以通过共转录耦合机制定量调节基因表达。

Antisense transcription is widespread in many genomes; however, how much is functional is hotly debated. We are investigating functionality of a set of long noncoding antisense transcripts, collectively called COOLAIR, produced at Arabidopsis FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC). COOLAIR initiates just downstream of the major sense transcript poly(A) site and terminates either early or extends into the FLC promoter region. We now show that splicing of COOLAIR is functionally important. This was revealed through analysis of a hypomorphic mutation in the core spliceosome component PRP8. The prp8 mutation perturbs a cotranscriptional feedback mechanism linking COOLAIR processing to FLC gene body histone demethylation and reduced FLC transcription. The importance of COOLAIR splicing in this repression mechanism was confirmed by disrupting COOLAIR production and mutating the COOLAIR proximal splice acceptor site. Our findings suggest that altered splicing of a long noncoding transcript can quantitatively modulate gene expression through cotranscriptional coupling mechanisms.