title: Oncogenic alternative splicing switches: role in cancer progression and prospects for therapy.
abstract: Alterations in the abundance or activities of alternative splicing regulators generate alternatively spliced variants that contribute to multiple aspects of tumor establishment, progression and resistance to therapeutic treatments. Notably, many cancer-associated genes are regulated through alternative splicing suggesting a significant role of this post-transcriptional regulatory mechanism in the production of oncogenes and tumor suppressors. Thus, the study of alternative splicing in cancer might provide a better understanding of the malignant transformation and identify novel pathways that are uniquely relevant to tumorigenesis. Understanding the molecular underpinnings of cancer-associated alternative splicing isoforms will not only help to explain many fundamental hallmarks of cancer, but will also offer unprecedented opportunities to improve the efficacy of anti-cancer treatments.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Genetica Molecolare, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (IGM-CNR), Via Abbiategrasso 207, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: Serena
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bonomi
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gallo
authors.forename: Morena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Catillo
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pignataro
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Biamonti
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ghigna