Microexons—Tiny but mighty

Abstract

The landscape of alternative splicing is only beginning to unravel, and the func- tional consequences are often unclear. Two articles in Cell and Genome Research focus on a set of largely ignored yet highly conserved exons, microexons. These appear strongly regulated by RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) and functionally modulate protein–protein interactions with strong evidence for deregulation in autism spec- trum disorder.