Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41803128›Full record

ArticleNature communications2026

An ultraconserved pseudo 5' splice site fine-tunes development by regulating alternative splicing within TOR-related pathways.

Zhan Ding, Zhuo-Ya Fang, Hao Li, Xi-Ping Jiang, Yun-Long Xie, Wen-Xiu Bian, Yan-Ting Wu, Xiao-Yi Lu, Bao-Liang Song, Yu-Jie Fan and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Zhan Ding *Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, Hubei Provincial Research Center for Basic Biological Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Virology and Biosafety, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1750-8164
Zhuo-Ya Fang *Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, Hubei Provincial Research Center for Basic Biological Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Virology and Biosafety, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
Hao Li *Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, Hubei Provincial Research Center for Basic Biological Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Virology and Biosafety, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
Xi-Ping JiangHubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, Hubei Provincial Research Center for Basic Biological Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Virology and Biosafety, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
Yun-Long XieHubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, Hubei Provincial Research Center for Basic Biological Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Virology and Biosafety, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
Wen-Xiu BianHubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, Hubei Provincial Research Center for Basic Biological Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Virology and Biosafety, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
Yan-Ting WuObstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Institute of Reproduction and Development, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2293-1792
Xiao-Yi LuTaiKang Center for Life and Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
Bao-Liang SongTaiKang Center for Life and Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6397-5935
Yu-Jie FanHubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, Hubei Provincial Research Center for Basic Biological Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Virology and Biosafety, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China. fanyujie@whu.edu.cn.
Yong-Zhen XuHubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, Hubei Provincial Research Center for Basic Biological Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Virology and Biosafety, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China. Yongzhen.Xu@whu.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1091-5610

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) 31570821National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) 31971225National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) 91440109National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) NSFC 32261133522
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Introns have expanded dramatically during evolution, and while their internal sequences have greatly diverged, the potential function of ultraconserved RNA motifs remains an important, unanswered question. Sharing the sequence with the utilized 5' splice sites (5'SSs), pseudo-5'SSs are widespread in introns but are never spliced. We searched homologous introns and identified eight ultraconserved pseudo-5'SSs (UCP-5'SSs). The most conserved one resides in the animal ENOX1/Enox genes that are involved in plasma membrane electron transport and cell enlargement. In vivo deletion of this 9-nt UCP-5'SS in Drosophila results in a significantly enlarged ovary and increased fecundity. We demonstrate that this UCP-5'SS is a silencer for alternative splicing (AS) regulation of an upstream ultraconserved essential exon through interaction with the U1 snRNP-core proteins. The AS changes are observed in all the tested Drosophila mutants from the dTOR and Insulin-like pathways. Remarkably, loss of this UCP-5'SS significantly mitigates the changes. Multiple-source human cells treated with the mTOR/Insulin pathway inhibitors also change the AS and specifically increase the translation of U1-70K, suggesting remarkable conservation of this mechanism. This study reveals an ultraconserved regulatory network in which a short intronic RNA element functions as a sensor of TOR-related pathways during ovarian development.

Indexed as

Alternative SplicingRNA Splice SitesTOR Serine-Threonine KinasesAnimalsBase SequenceConserved SequenceDrosophila melanogasterDrosophila ProteinsExonsFemaleHumansIntronsOvaryDrosophila ProteinsRNA Splice SitesTOR Serine-Threonine Kinases

Identifiers

PMID41803128
PMCPMC13100119

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.