title: A saga of cancer epigenetics: linking epigenetics to alternative splicing.
abstract: The discovery of an increasing number of alternative splicing events in the human genome highlighted that ∼94% of genes generate alternatively spliced transcripts that may produce different protein isoforms with diverse functions. It is now well known that several diseases are a direct and indirect consequence of aberrant splicing events in humans. In addition to the conventional mode of alternative splicing regulation by 'cis' RNA-binding sites and 'trans'RNA-binding proteins, recent literature provides enormous evidence for epigenetic regulation of alternative splicing. The epigenetic modifications may regulate alternative splicing by either influencing the transcription elongation rate of RNA polymerase II or by recruiting a specific splicing regulator via different chromatin adaptors. The epigenetic alterations and aberrant alternative splicing are known to be associated with various diseases individually, but this review discusses/highlights the latest literature on the role of epigenetic alterations in the regulation of alternative splicing and thereby cancer progression. This review also points out the need for further studies to understand the interplay between epigenetic modifications and aberrant alternative splicing in cancer progression.
authors.affiliation: Epigenetics and RNA Processing Laboratory (ERPL), Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal (IISERB), Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: Sathiya Pandi
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Narayanan
authors.affiliation: Epigenetics and RNA Processing Laboratory (ERPL), Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal (IISERB), Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: Smriti
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.affiliation: Epigenetics and RNA Processing Laboratory (ERPL), Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal (IISERB), Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India sanjeevs@iiserb.ac.in.
authors.forename: Sanjeev
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shukla
mesh_terms: D000107:Acetylation; D017398:Alternative Splicing; D019175:DNA Methylation; D018450:Disease Progression; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006657:Histones / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008745:Methylation; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D012319:RNA Polymerase II / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D061805:Transcription Elongation, Genetic
chemical_list: D006657:Histones; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; D012319:RNA Polymerase II
keywords: RNA polymerase; RNA-binding proteins; alternative splicing; epigenetics; methylation