RJunBase: a database of RNA splice junctions in human normal and cancerous tissues

Splicing is an essential step of RNA processing for multi-exon genes, in which introns are removed from a precursor RNA, thereby producing mature RNAs containing splice junctions. Here, we develope the RJunBase (www.RJunBase.org), a web-accessible database of three types of RNA splice junctions (linear, back-splice, and fusion junctions) that are derived from RNA-seq data of non-cancerous and cancerous tissues. The RJunBase aims to integrate and characterize all RNA splice junctions of both healthy or pathological human cells and tissues. This new database facilitates the visualization of the genelevel splicing pattern and the junction-level expression profile, as well as the demonstration of unannotated and tumor-specific junctions. The first release of RJunBase contains 682 017 linear junctions, 225 949 back-splice junctions and 34 733 fusion junctions across 18 084 non-cancerous and 11 540 cancerous samples. RJunBase can aid researchers in discovering new splicing-associated targets and provide insights into the identification and assessment of potential neoepitopes for cancer treatment.

Automated summary

Splicing is a crucial step in RNA processing for multi-exon genes, and RJunBase is a new database that contains different types of RNA splice junctions derived from non-cancerous and cancerous tissues. This database allows researchers to visualize gene-level splicing patterns and junction-level expression profiles, as well as demonstrate unannotated and tumor-specific junctions, aiding in the discovery of new splicing-associated targets and the identification of potential neoepitopes for cancer treatment.