Aberrant alternative splicing in cancer: Splicing events and their regulatory mechanisms (Review)

Abstract

Alternative RNA splicing provides cells with transcriptomic and proteomic diversity by adding another layer of regulation to gene expression. Accumulating evidence has revealed that defects in alternative splicing contribute to a variety of features of cancer development, including the modulation of cancer heterogeneity, evasion of apoptosis of cancer cells, rewiring cancer metabolism and facilitating cancer metastasis via fine‑tuning the epithelial‑to‑mesenchymal transition process. In this review, well‑known aberrant alternative splicing events associated with multiple aspects of cancer progression were presented based on available data obtained from an extensive literature search used to construct splicing regulatory networks for each of these events. The study aims to provide a more comprehensive understanding of cancer‑associated splicing networks and more precise guidance for targeting these events for cancer treatment.

Keywords: alternative RNA splicing; cancer; metastasis; regulatory network; splicing factors.