Splicing describes the removal of introns from pre-messenger RNAs to form messenger RNAs, and is carried out by a large complex, the spliceosome. This processing can have a profound effect on the regulation and number of gene products encoded by the genome. In addition, mutations in key components of the splicing machinery, as well as dysfunction of alternative splicing regulators, have been associated with disease, a new Nature Structural and Molecular Biology (NSMB) Web Focus on splicing, free to access online, compiles recent papers that have elucidated the organization, structure and regulation of spliceosomal components, thus shedding light on the mechanistic heart of splicing. An accompanying NPG library highlights recent insights into splicing and the regulation and impact of alternative splicing.
As part of the NSMB Focus, the journal presents a podcast, Splice Talk, consisting of interviews with Reinhard Lührmann, Andrew MacMillan and Christine Guthrie about their recent research and about the general topic of splicing.