What is Pre-mRNA Splicing

Eukaryotic genes have the ability to produce several distinct products from a single genomic locus. Recent developments in microarray technology allow monitoring of such isoform variation at a genome-wide scale. In our research, we have used Affymetrix Exon Arrays to detect variation in alternative splicing, initiation of transcription, and polyadenylation among humans. We demonstrated that such variation is common in human populations and has an underlying genetic component. Here, we use our study to illustrate the use of Exon Arrays to detect alternative isoforms, to outline the analysis involved, and to point out potential problems that may be encountered by researchers using this technology.