splicing factor

{{short description|Proteins that aid in intron removal from messenger RNA}}

A splicing factor is a protein involved in the removal of introns from strings of messenger RNA, so that the exons can bind together; the process takes place in particles known as spliceosomes. Splicing factors regulate the binding of the snRNPs U1 and U2 to the 3' and 5' ends of the intron during splicing and can either be splicing promoters or splicing repressors.{{cite journal |last1=Wang |first1=Z |last2=Burge |first2=CB |title=Splicing regulation: from a parts list of regulatory elements to an integrated splicing code. |journal=RNA |date=May 2008 |volume=14 |issue=5 |pages=802–13 |doi=10.1261/rna.876308 |pmid=18369186|pmc=2327353 |doi-access=free }}

In a research paper, splicing factors were found to be produced upon application of resveratrol analogues, which induced senescent cells to rejuvenate.{{Cite web|url=https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-11-human-cells-rejuvenated-breakthrough-discovery.html|title=Old human cells rejuvenated in breakthrough discovery on ageing|author=The University of Exeter|date=17 November 2017|access-date=29 January 2025|website=MedicalXpress.com}}{{cite journal|vauthors=Latorre E, Birar VC, Sheerin AN, Jeynes JC, Hooper A, Dawe HR, Melzer D, Cox LS, Faragher RG, Ostler EL, Harries LW|title=Small molecule modulation of splicing factor expression is associated with rescue from cellular senescence|journal=BMC Cell Biology|volume=18|id=Art. No. 31|year=2017|doi=10.1186/s12860-017-0147-7|doi-access=free|pmc=5645932|pmid=29041897}} The expression of splicing factors may be altered during aging.{{cite journal|vauthors=Wang K, Wu D, Zhang H, Das A, Basu M, Malin J, Cao K, Hannenhalli S|title=Comprehensive map of age-associated splicing changes across human tissues and their contributions to age-associated diseases|journal=Scientific Reports|volume=8|id=Art. No. 10929|year=2018|doi=10.1038/s41598-018-29086-2|doi-access=free|pmid=30026530|pmc=6053367}}