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Background: Dysregulations in alternative splicing (AS) patterns have been associated with many human diseases including cancer. In the present study, alterations to the global RNA splicing landscape of cellular genes were investigated in a large-scale screen from 377 liver tissue samples using high-throughput RNA sequencing data. Results: Our study identifies modifications in the AS patterns of transcripts encoded by more than 2500 genes such as tumor suppressor genes, transcription factors, and kinases. These findings provide insights into the molecular differences between various types of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Our analysis allowed the identification of 761 unique transcripts for which AS is misregulated in HBV-associated HCC, while 68 are unique to HCV-associated HCC, 54 to HBV&HCV-associated HCC, and 299 to virus-free HCC. Moreover, we demonstrate that the expression pattern of the RNA splicing factor hnRNPC in HCC tissues significantly correlates with patient survival. We also show that the expression of the HBx protein from HBV leads to modifications in the AS profiles of cellular genes. Finally, using RNA interference and a reverse transcription-PCR screening platform, we examined the implications of cellular proteins involved in the splicing of transcripts involved in apoptosis and demonstrate the potential contribution of these proteins in AS control. Conclusions: This study provides the first comprehensive portrait of global changes in the RNA splicing signatures that occur in hepatocellular carcinoma. Moreover, these data allowed us to identify unique signatures of genes for which AS is misregulated in the different types of HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: It has been observed that following viroid infection, there is an accumulation of viroid-derived siRNAs in infected plants. Some experimental results suggest that these small RNAs may be produced by the plant defense system to protect it from infection, indicating that viroids can elicit the RNA-silencing pathways. The objective of this study is to identify in the peach latent mosaic viroid (PLMVd), a model RNA genome, the regions that are most susceptible to RNA interference machinery. Results: The RNA isolated from an infected tree have been used to sequence in parallel viroid species and small non-coding RNA species. Specifically, PLMVd RNAs were amplified, cloned and sequenced according to a conventional approach, while small non-coding RNAs were determined by high-throughput sequencing. The first led to the typing of 18 novel PLMVd variants. The second provided a library of small RNAs including 880 000 sequences corresponding to PLMVd-derived siRNAs, which makes up 11.2% of the sequences of the infected library. These siRNAs contain mainly 21-22 nucleotide RNAs and are equivalently distributed between the plus and the minus polarities of the viroid. They cover the complete viroid genome, although the amount varies depending on the regions. These regions do not necessarily correlate with the double-stranded requirement to be a substrate for Dicer-like enzymes. We noted that some sequences encompass the hammerhead self-cleavage site, indicating that the circular conformers could be processed by the RNA-silencing machinery. Finally, a bias in the relative abundance of the nature of the 5′ nucleotides was observed (A, U >> G, C). Conclusions: The approach used provided us a quantitative representation of the PLMVd-derived siRNAs retrieved from infected peach trees. These siRNAs account for a relatively large proportion of the small non-coding RNAs. Surprisingly, the siRNAs from some regions of the PLMVd genome appear over-represented, although these regions are not necessarily forming sufficiently long double-stranded structures to satisfy Dicer-like criteria for substrate specificity. Importantly, this large library of siRNAs gave several hints as to the components of the involved silencing machinery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: RNA-dependent gene silencing is becoming a routine tool used in laboratories worldwide. One of the important remaining hurdles in the selection of the target sequence, if not the most important one, is the designing of tools that have minimal off-target effects (i.e. cleaves only the desired sequence). Increasingly, in the current dawn of the post-genomic era, there is a heavy reliance on tools that are suitable for high-throughput functional genomics, consequently more and more bioinformatic software is becoming available. However, to date none have been designed to satisfy the ever-increasing need for the accurate selection of targets for a specific silencing reagent. Results: In order to overcome this hurdle we have developed RiboSubstrates http://www.riboclub.org/ribosubstrates. This integrated bioinformatic software permits the searching of a cDNA database for all potential substrates for a given ribozyme. This includes the mRNAs that perfectly match the specific requirements of a given ribozyme, as well those including Wobble base pairs and mismatches. The results generated allow rapid selection of sequences suitable as targets for RNA degradation. The current web-based RiboSubstrates version permits the identification of potential gene targets for both SOFA-HDV ribozymes and for hammerhead ribozymes. Moreover, a minimal template for the search of siRNAs is also available. This flexible and reliable tool is easily adaptable for use with any RNA tool (i.e. other ribozymes, deoxyribozymes and antisense), and may use the information present in any cDNA bank. Conclusion: RiboSubstrates should become an essential step for all, even including "non-RNA biologists", who endeavor to develop a gene-inactivation system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]