Small molecule modulators of pre-mRNA splicing in cancer therapy

By M. Salton, Tom Misteli. 2015

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Pre-mRNA splicing is a fundamental process in mammalian gene expression and alternative RNA splicing plays a considerable role in generating protein diversity. RNA splicing events are key to the pathology of numerous diseases, including cancers. Some tumors are molecularly addicted to specific RNA splicing isoforms making interference with pre-mRNA processing a viable therapeutic strategy. Several RNA splicing modulators have been recently characterized showing promise in pre-clinical studies. While the targets of most splicing modulators are constitutive RNA processing components, with undesirable side effects, selectivity for individual splicing events has been observed. Given the high prevalence of splicing defects in cancer, small molecule modulators of RNA processing represent a novel therapeutic strategy in cancer treatment. Here, we review their reported effects, potential mechanisms, and limitations.

Subfields: Molecular Biology