Immunomodulatory Gene-Splicing Dysregulation in Tumorigenesis: Unmasking the Complexity

Cancer is a global health concern with rising incidence, morbidity, and mortality. The interaction between the tumor and immune cells within the tumor microenvironment is facilitated by signaling pathways driven by immunomodulatory proteins. Alternative splicing regulates the production of multiple immunomodulatory proteins with diverse functionality from a single mRNA transcript. Splicing factors are pivotal in modulating alternative splicing processes but are also subject to regulation. The dysregulation of alternative splicing may result from splicing factor (SF) abnormal expression levels and mutations in the cis and trans-acting elements and small nuclear RNA (snRNA) molecules. Aberrant splicing may generate abnormal mRNA transcripts encoding isoforms with altered functions that contribute to tumorigenesis or cancer progression. This review uncovers the complexity of immunomodulatory genes splicing dysregulation in oncogenesis. Identifying specific immunomodulatory splicing isoforms that contribute to cancer could be utilized to improve current immunotherapeutic drugs or develop novel therapeutic interventions for cancer.

Automated summary

Cancer is a global health concern characterized by increasing incidence, morbidity, and mortality. The interaction between tumor and immune cells in the tumor microenvironment is facilitated by immunomodulatory proteins. Alternative splicing, regulated by splicing factors, produces multiple immunomodulatory proteins with varying functions from a single mRNA transcript. Dysregulation of alternative splicing contributes to tumorigenesis and cancer progression by generating abnormal mRNA transcripts encoding isoforms with altered functions. This review highlights the significance of understanding immunomodulatory gene splicing dysregulation in cancer and suggests utilizing specific immunomodulatory splicing isoforms to enhance current immunotherapies or develop novel cancer treatments.