Figure 1.

Key mechanisms of alternative pre-mRNA splicing. A, Histone modifications and DNA-binding proteins associated with alternative exons (light blue rectangles) can interact with the RNA Pol II and regulate exon usage by recruiting RNA-binding proteins that recognize pre-mRNA-binding motifs or by slowing down RNA Pol II elongation rate and favoring the inclusion of alternative exons. B, RNA-binding proteins regulate alternative splicing by binding pre-mRNA and driving inclusion or exclusion of alternative exons (light blue rectangles). Gray rectangles represent constitutive exons.