Alternative splicing factor RAB3IP as a novel risk signature to predict the prognosis of colorectal cancer

Emerging evidence suggests that aberrant alternative splicing plays a vital role in the development of tumors. However, the expression of splicing factors (SF) in colorectal cancer and its relationship with prognosis is still unclear. Here, we divided patients into high-risk and low-risk groups through univariate COX analysis and LASSO regression analysis, and selected 13 alternative splicing factors that are highly correlated with prognosis for subsequent analysis. We systematically analyzed the prognostic value of transcription levels of SFs in colorectal cancer (CRC) and found that RAB3A interacting protein (RAB3IP), programmed cell death 4 (PDCD4), golgin B1 (GOLGB1), and neuregulin 4 (NRG4) as the most predictive markers for the prognosis of CRC. After comparing the expression of four splicing factors in cancer tissues with normal tissues as well as OS analysis, it is strongly indicated that only RAB3IP demonstrates a significant positive correlation with favorable prognosis. Accordingly, we established a risk signature of transcription levels of RAB3IP as an independent prognostic marker for CRC. Moreover, by the Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA), we demonstrated that the RAB3IP was correlated to Cell Cycle, WNT pathway and Spliceosome in cancer. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate that SFs play a critical role in CRC pathogenesis, and identify RAB3IP as a novel prognostic biomarker for CRC.