Alternative splice site usage gives rise to two types of exon segments - the 'core' portion common to both splice forms and the 'extended' portion that is present only in the longer isoform. Two clusters of sequence motifs enriched in the core sequences of A5Es in genes expressed in the liver relative to the core segments of A5Es resulting from alignments of non-liver-derived ESTs were identified - LI1 and LI2. Both are adenosine-rich, with consensus tetramers AAAC and UAAA, respectively. The former motif matches a candidate ESE motif identified previously using the computational/experimental RESCUE-ESE approach (motif 3F with consensus [AG]AA [AG]C) [19]. The enrichment of a probable ESE motif in exons exhibiting alternative splice site usage in the liver is consistent with the model that such splicing events are often controlled by the relative levels of SR proteins (which bind many ESEs) and hnRNP proteins. Insufficient data were available for the analysis of motifs in the extended portions of liver A5Es (which tend to be significantly shorter than the core regions) or for the analysis of liver A3Es.
