A survey of ancient paralog alternative splicing patterns in Arabidopsis thaliana root cell-types
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Whole-genome duplication events have played an extensive role in the evolution of flowering plants. The sudden doubling of genetic material can expedite large scale changes in gene function and expression patterns. Alternative splicing (AS) offers an avenue with which genes duplicated in polyploidy events (homeologs) may contribute to such functional diversity. AS produces multiple transcript isoforms through the differential removal of introns from the primary mRNA transcript. This process contributes to the function complexity of the cell by expanding both proteomic diversity and mechanisms of post-transcriptional regulation. While there is evidence of considerable divergence in alternative splicing between homeologous genes, the extent to which these differences manifest in different tissue-types is less understood. Using RNA-Seq data I have surveyed the transcriptomes of root tissues in paleopolyploid Arabidopsis thaliana. Assessing the distribution of splicing events between homeolog pairs, I am determining the extent of homeologous AS divergence across multiple zones of root development. Consequently, I have identified a high degree of asymmetry in alternative splicing patterns between several gene pairs. These results will hopefully provide insight into how alternative splicing contributes to tissue-specific variation following gene duplication in plants.