Identification of WTAP complex-regulated alternative splicing/polyadenylation

Through combined comprehensive analysis of AS events via RNAi, coupled with RNA-seq analysis, we demonstrate that the WTAP complex core factors WTAP, VIRMA, KIAA0853 and CBLL1 function as splicing regulators to promote exon skipping and intron retention, several of which occur in the last exon with competition between splicing and polyadenylation. The regulated alternative splicing (AS) events involve short introns/exons with higher GC content and introns with weaker polypyrimidine-tract and branch points. Further analysis of GC-rich sequences of WTAP-regulated AS events revealed potential G-quadruplex formation. Overall design: Tranascriptome analysis of WTAP-complex knockdown Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells (HUVECs)