SR Splicing Factors Promote Cancer via Multiple Regulatory Mechanisms

Genes (Basel). 2022 Sep 16;13(9):1659. doi: 10.3390/genes13091659.

Abstract

Substantial emerging evidence supports that dysregulated RNA metabolism is associated with tumor initiation and development. Serine/Arginine-Rich proteins (SR) are a number of ultraconserved and structurally related proteins that contain a characteristic RS domain rich in arginine and serine residues. SR proteins perform a critical role in spliceosome assembling and conformational transformation, contributing to precise alternative RNA splicing. Moreover, SR proteins have been reported to participate in multiple other RNA-processing-related mechanisms than RNA splicing, such as genome stability, RNA export, and translation. The dysregulation of SR proteins has been reported to contribute to tumorigenesis through multiple mechanisms. Here we reviewed the different biological roles of SR proteins and strategies for functional rectification of SR proteins that may serve as potential therapeutic approaches for cancer.

Keywords: RNA processing; SR proteins; cancer.

Publication types

  • Review
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Arginine / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Neoplasms* / genetics
  • RNA
  • RNA Splicing Factors / genetics
  • RNA-Binding Proteins* / genetics
  • RNA-Binding Proteins* / metabolism
  • Serine
  • Serine-Arginine Splicing Factors / genetics
  • Serine-Arginine Splicing Factors / metabolism

Substances

  • RNA Splicing Factors
  • RNA-Binding Proteins
  • Serine-Arginine Splicing Factors
  • Serine
  • RNA
  • Arginine

Grants and funding

This work is supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province (LZ21H160001), CAMS Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences (CIFMS, 2019-I2M-5-044), Medical Health Scientific Research Fund of Zhejiang Province (2020PY022), and Agricultural and Social Development Scientific Research Fund of Hangzhou (20191231Y200).