Evaluation of adaptive significance of alternative splicing by phylogenetic conservation

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Genetic information is stored in the cell in the form of DNA, which the cell cannot access directly. Instead, DNA information undergoes extensive, multistep processing before it can be acted upon to direct cellular functions. One of these processes, alternative mRNA splicing, not only transmits genetic information but also enhances it by generating multiple alternative genetic messages from the same gene. The cell expands considerable amount of resources to generate these alternative messages. While some are essential for the proper functioning and development of the cell, the significance of others is subject of great debate since their function in the cell is unclear. Are they errors tolerated by the cell or do they represent an as yet unknown type of genetic information or a novel regulatory process? In this study we will attempt to evaluate the significance of alternative messages by comparing their production in a variety of including mammals, birds, fish, and amphibians. Our guiding principle is that if alternative messages are functionally important then we will be able to trace their evolutionary development and uncover evidence of their role in the various animals we will investigate.