Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 30, 2025

Engineering Artificial Factors to Specifically Manipulate Alternative Splicing in Human Cells
10:06

Engineering Artificial Factors to Specifically Manipulate Alternative Splicing in Human Cells

Published on: April 26, 2017

9.3K

SnapShot: Splicing Alterations in Cancer

Mohammad Alinoor Rahman1, Adrian R Krainer1, Omar Abdel-Wahab2

  • 1Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724, USA.

Cell
|January 18, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Cancer cells alter RNA splicing, the process of turning pre-messenger RNA (pre-mRNA) into mature mRNA. Mutations disrupt splicing, leading to tumor-specific changes and impacting cancer development.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics
  • Cancer Research

Background:

  • RNA splicing is crucial for gene expression, converting pre-messenger RNA (pre-mRNA) to mature mRNA.
  • Aberrant RNA splicing is a hallmark of many cancers, contributing to tumor development and progression.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To summarize current knowledge on splicing factor alterations in cancer.
  • To highlight the mechanisms by which splicing is dysregulated in tumors.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on RNA splicing and cancer.
  • Analysis of mutations affecting splicing-regulatory elements and splicing factors.

Main Results:

  • Mutations can disrupt splicing recognition sites or alter RNA-binding protein functions.
  • Tumor-specific splicing alterations are frequently observed in various cancer types.

Conclusions:

  • Splicing factor alterations play a significant role in oncogenesis.
  • Understanding these alterations is key for developing novel cancer therapies.

More Related Videos

Using RNA-sequencing to Detect Novel Splice Variants Related to Drug Resistance in In Vitro Cancer Models09:58

Using RNA-sequencing to Detect Novel Splice Variants Related to Drug Resistance in In Vitro Cancer Models

Published on: December 9, 2016

14.2K
Detection of Alternative Splicing During Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition11:48

Detection of Alternative Splicing During Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition

Published on: October 9, 2014

13.3K

Related Concept Videos

RNA Splicing01:32

RNA Splicing

Splicing is the process by which eukaryotic RNA is edited before its translation into protein. The RNA strand transcribed from eukaryotic DNA is called the primary transcript. The primary transcripts that become mRNAs are called precursor messenger RNAs (pre-mRNAs). Eukaryotic pre-mRNA contains alternating sequences of exons and introns. Exons are nucleotide sequences that code for proteins, whereas introns are the non-coding regions. In RNA splicing, introns are removed and exons are bonded...
60.1K
Alternative RNA Splicing02:18

Alternative RNA Splicing

Alternative RNA splicing is the regulated splicing of exons and introns to produce different mature mRNAs from a single pre-mRNA. Unlike in constitutive splicing where a single gene produces a single type of mRNA, alternative splicing allows an organism to produce multiple proteins from a single gene and plays an important role in protein diversity.
There are five types of alternative RNA splicing that vary in the ways the pre-mRNA segments are removed or retained in the mature mRNA. The first...
24.5K
Alternative RNA Splicing02:18

Alternative RNA Splicing

4.7K
Loss of Tumor Suppressor Gene Functions01:12

Loss of Tumor Suppressor Gene Functions

Tumor suppressor genes are normal genes that can slow down cell division, repair DNA mistakes, or program the cells for apoptosis in case of irreparable damage. Hence, they play an essential role in preventing the proliferation of damaged cells.
When the tumor suppressor genes develop mutations or are lost, cells start growing out of control, leading to cancer. However, a single functional copy of the tumor suppressor gene is enough for the cells to maintain their normal functions and cell...
5.8K
Cancers Originate from Somatic Mutations in a Single Cell02:21

Cancers Originate from Somatic Mutations in a Single Cell

Cancer arises from mutations in the critical genes that allow healthy cells to escape cell cycle regulation and acquire the ability to proliferate indefinitely. Though originating from a single mutation event in one of the originator cells, cancer progresses when the mutant cell lines continue to gain more and more mutations, and finally, become malignant. For example, chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) develops initially as a non-lethal increase in white blood cells, which progressively...
14.4K
Cancer-Critical Genes II: Tumor Suppressor Genes01:05

Cancer-Critical Genes II: Tumor Suppressor Genes

Genes usually encode proteins necessary for the proper functioning of a healthy cell. Mutations can often cause changes to the gene expression pattern, thereby altering the phenotype.
When the function of certain critical genes, especially those involved in cell cycle regulation and cell growth signaling cascades, gets disrupted, it upsets the cell cycle progression. Such cells with unchecked cell cycles start proliferating uncontrollably and eventually develop into tumors.
Such genes that act...
9.3K