Using single-strand conformational polymorphism gel electrophoresis to analyze mutually exclusive alternative splicing

Methods Mol Biol. 2004:257:65-74. doi: 10.1385/1-59259-750-5:065.

Abstract

Single-strand conformational polymorphism analysis has been used successfully to identify single nucleotide changes within sequences based on the fact that multidetection enhancement gels will separate molecules based on their conformation rather than their size. We have expanded the utility of this technique to analyze easily the alternative splicing of pre-mRNAs containing multiple mutually exclusive exons of the same size. We have used this technique to study the Caenorhabditis elegans let-2 gene containing two alternative exons and the Drosophilia melanogaster Dscam gene, which contains 12 mutually exclusive exons. The ease and the quantitative nature of this technique should be very useful.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Alternative Splicing / physiology*
  • Animals
  • Caenorhabditis elegans / genetics*
  • Caenorhabditis elegans / metabolism
  • Cell Adhesion Molecules
  • Drosophila Proteins*
  • Drosophila melanogaster / genetics*
  • Drosophila melanogaster / metabolism
  • Electrophoresis / methods*
  • Exons / genetics
  • Genes, Helminth / physiology*
  • Introns / genetics
  • Polymorphism, Single-Stranded Conformational
  • Protein Isoforms
  • Proteins / genetics
  • Proteins / isolation & purification*
  • RNA Precursors / genetics

Substances

  • Cell Adhesion Molecules
  • Drosophila Proteins
  • Dscam1 protein, Drosophila
  • Protein Isoforms
  • Proteins
  • RNA Precursors