Evolutionary logic and biotechnological potential of alternative splicing in higher eukaryotes: Comparative insights from plants and animals.

Alternative splicing shows kingdom-specific patterns but is shaped by biological and sampling differences, with conservation and regulation supporting functional and evolutionary insights.

• Why it matters: Understanding the evolutionary significance of alternative splicing is crucial for advancing crop improvement, biomarkers, and RNA-based interventions, yet current evidence is limited.
• What they did: The review synthesizes data from long-read sequencing, single-cell profiling, pangenomics, proteogenomics, and perturbation studies across plants and animals, highlighting exon-level switches and intron retention.
• The result: The framework aids in prioritizing isoforms for practical applications, with examples from clinical splice modulation and rice alleles demonstrating translational potential, while emphasizing the need for causal and fitness-related studies.