title: Alternative Splicing in Adhesion- and Motility-Related Genes in Breast Cancer.
abstract: Breast cancer is the most common tumor and the second leading cause of cancer death among woman, mainly caused by the metastatic spread. Tumor invasiveness is due to an altered expression of adhesion molecules. Among them, semaphorins are of peculiar interest. Cancer cells can manipulate alternative splicing patterns to modulate the expression of adhesion- and motility-related molecules, also at the isoform level. In this study, combining RNA-Sequencing on MCF-7 to targeted experimental validations-in human breast cell lines and breast tumor biopsies-we identified 12 new alternative splicing transcripts in genes encoding adhesion- and motility-related molecules, including semaphorins, their receptors and co-receptors. Among them, a new SEMA3F transcript is expressed in all breast cell lines and breast cancer biopsies, and is translated into a new semaphorin 3F isoform. In silico analysis predicted that most of the new putative proteins lack functional domains, potentially missing some functions and acquiring new ones. Our findings better describe the extent of alternative splicing in breast cancer and highlight the need to further investigate adhesion- and motility-related molecules to gain insights into breast cancer progression.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Genetics and Biophysics "Adriano Buzzati-Traverso", Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Via P. Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy. rosanna.aversa@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Rosanna
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Aversa
authors.affiliation: Institute of Genetics and Biophysics "Adriano Buzzati-Traverso", Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Via P. Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy. anna.sorrentino@igb.cnr.it.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sorrentino
authors.affiliation: Institute of Genetics and Biophysics "Adriano Buzzati-Traverso", Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Via P. Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy. roberta.esposito@igb.cnr.it.
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Esposito
authors.affiliation: Institute of Genetics and Biophysics "Adriano Buzzati-Traverso", Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Via P. Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy. mariarosaria.ambrosio@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Maria Rosaria
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Ambrosio
authors.affiliation: Lab of Experimental Oncology and Pharmacogenomics, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico Fondazione "Salvatore Maugeri", 27100 Pavia, Italy. angela.amato@fsm.it.
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Amato
authors.affiliation: Medical Oncology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliera Papa Giovanni XXIII, 24127 Bergamo, Italy. alberto.zambelli@fsm.it.
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zambelli
authors.affiliation: Institute of Genetics and Biophysics "Adriano Buzzati-Traverso", Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Via P. Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy. alfredo.ciccodicola@igb.cnr.it.|Department of Science and Technology, University Parthenope of Naples, 80131 Naples, Italy. alfredo.ciccodicola@igb.cnr.it.
authors.forename: Alfredo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ciccodicola
authors.affiliation: Institute of Protein Biochemistry, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Via P. Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy. l.dapice@ibp.cnr.it.
authors.forename: Luciana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: D'Apice
authors.affiliation: Institute of Genetics and Biophysics "Adriano Buzzati-Traverso", Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Via P. Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy. valerio.costa@igb.cnr.it.
authors.forename: Valerio
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Costa
mesh_terms: D017398:Alternative Splicing; D001483:Base Sequence; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D002465:Cell Movement; D005091:Exons; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D007438:Introns; D061986:MCF-7 Cells; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D008565:Membrane Proteins; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; C492119:PLXNB1 protein, human; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; C491230:SEMA3F protein, human
keywords: RNA-Sequencing; alternative splicing; breast cancer; cell adhesion and motility