Since the discovery of RNA splicing in the mid-1970s, splicing regulation has remained a central focus in molecular biology. Approximately 50% of human diseases are associated with splicing abnormalities. In eukaryotes, 70% to 90% of genes complete splicing during transcription, a process termed co-transcriptional splicing. However, the precise mechanisms coupling splicing with transcription remain incompletely understood. Moreover, the conceptual and functional boundaries between co-transcriptional and alternative splicing continue to confuse many researchers. Elucidating the molecular mechanisms and downstream functions of co-transcriptional splicing thus stands as a key frontier in the field.

Recently, a team led by Yajing Hao (China National Center for Bioinformation / Beijing Institute of Genomics, CAS) and Xiang-Dong Fu (Westlake University) published a review entitled "Hierarchical regulation and molecular functions of co-transcriptional splicing" in Science Bulletin. The article covers detection technologies, quantitative metrics, regulatory mechanisms, functional consequences, and disease associations, highlighting that co-transcriptional splicing is an active and hierarchically regulated hub of gene expression. The review also notes that many mechanisms remain debated, and systematic elucidation will open new opportunities for translational research.

The left‑right asymmetry of South African butterfly lilies (genus Wachendorfia) has been regarded as a classic evolutionary puzzle for more than a century. Due to the mirror-image arrangement of the floral parts, the plants achieve efficient cross pollination. The molecular basis of this arrangement has now been uncovered by an international team led by the University of Potsdam. Their study in collaboration with the University of Cape Town and Wageningen University has been published in “Science”.

The Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology today announced the activation of The QUANTUM Trial (Alliance A062401), a clinical study designed to test a novel, immune-targeting approach for patients newly diagnosed with primary plasma cell leukemia (PCL).