Alternative mRNA Splicing and Promising Therapies in Cancer

Cancer is among the leading causes of mortality worldwide. While considerable attention has been given to genetic and epigenetic sources of cancer-specific cellular activities, the role of alternative mRNA splicing has only recently received attention as a major contributor to cancer initiation and progression. The distribution of alternate mRNA splicing variants in cancer cells is different from their non-cancer counterparts, and cancer cells are more sensitive than non-cancer cells to drugs that target components of the splicing regulatory network. While many of the alternatively spliced mRNAs in cancer cells may represent noise from splicing dysregulation, certain recurring splicing variants have been shown to contribute to tumor progression. Some pathogenic splicing disruption events result from mutations in cis-acting splicing regulatory sequences in disease-associated genes, while others may result from shifts in balance among naturally occurring alternate splicing variants among mRNAs that participate in cell cycle progression and the regulation of apoptosis. This review provides examples of cancer-related alternate splicing events resulting from each step of mRNA processing and the promising therapies that may be used to address them.

Automated summary

Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide. Alternative mRNA splicing has recently been recognized as a major contributor to cancer initiation and progression. Cancer cells exhibit different distribution of splicing variants compared to non-cancer cells, and they are more sensitive to drugs targeting the splicing regulatory network. Certain recurring splicing variants have been shown to contribute to tumor progression, while some disruption events result from mutations in splicing regulatory sequences or shifts in balance among naturally occurring splicing variants of mRNAs involved in cell cycle progression and apoptosis regulation. This review explores cancer-related alternative splicing events and potential therapies.