Bernstein, S.I., Hansen, C.J., Becker, K.D., Wassenberg, D.R., Roche, E.S., Donady, J.J., Emerson, C.P. (1986). Alternative RNA splicing generates transcripts encoding a thorax-specific isoform of Drosophila melanogaster myosin heavy chain.  Mol. Cell. Biol. 6(): 2511--2519.

FBrf0045026

Research paper

Genomic and cDNA sequencing studies show that transcripts from the muscle myosin heavy-chain (MHC) gene of Drosophila melanogaster are alternatively spliced, producing RNAs that encode at least two MHC isoforms with different C termini. Transcripts encoding an MHC isoform with 27 unique C-terminal amino acids accumulate during both larval and adult muscle differentiation. Transcripts for the second isoform encode one unique C-terminal amino acid and accumulate almost exclusively in pupal and adult thoracic segments, the location of the indirect flight muscles. The 3' splice acceptor site preceding the thorax-specific exon is unusually purine rich and thus may serve as a thorax-specific splicing signal. We suggest that the alternative C termini of these two MHC isoforms control myofilament assembly and may play a role in generating the distinctive myofilament organizations of flight muscle and other muscle types.

PMC367805 (PMC) (EuropePMC)