A conserved role for intragenic DNA methylation in alternative pre-mRNA splicing

DNA methylome analysis in a variety of species has revealed elevated 5-methyl-cytosine at exons relative to introns. These associations raised the possibility that intragenic DNA methylation aids the spliceosome in the process of exon definition. Here, I highlight recent genome-wide associations and direct evidence linking DNA methylation to pre-mRNA splicing.