Dysregulation of SRSF11 in Cancer: Mechanistic Insights and Biomarker Potential for Diagnosis and Therapy

Area of Science:

• Molecular Biology
• Cancer Research
• RNA Biology

Background:

• Serine/arginine-rich splicing factor 11 (SRSF11) is an RNA-binding protein regulating alternative splicing and RNA metabolism.
• SRSF11's role is context-dependent and has been implicated in various malignancies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the mechanistic, post-translational, and non-coding RNA-mediated regulation of SRSF11 in cancer.
• To clarify limitations in current data and propose future research directions.
• To emphasize cancer-specific roles of SRSF11 rather than generalized conclusions.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of existing mechanistic and clinical evidence.
• Analysis of SRSF11's involvement in signaling pathways (e.g., PAK5-SRSF11-HSPA12A, METTL3-SRSF11, SRSF11-CDK1/telomerase).
• Identification of SRSF11's participation in cell-cycle regulation, telomerase recruitment, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT).

Main Results:

• SRSF11 participates in key cancer-related processes like cell-cycle regulation, telomerase recruitment, and EMT.
• Specific signaling axes involving SRSF11 have been identified in colorectal, gastric, breast, and hepatocellular cancers.
• SRSF11 functions as a context-dependent regulator, suggesting its potential as a cancer biomarker.

Conclusions:

• SRSF11 is a potential biomarker for cancer diagnosis and prognosis, not a universal oncogenic driver.
• Further multi-omics and functional studies are needed to validate SRSF11-directed splicing therapy.
• Understanding cancer-specific roles of SRSF11 is crucial for therapeutic development.