Differential expression profile of master regulators of gene expression- Serine-arginine rich splicing factor family in Oral Cancer

Abstract

Abstract Oral cancer has become a major health concern affecting a large fraction of the Indian population accounting for over 30% of all the cancers reported. Despite the advanced treatment options available, delayed diagnosis and poor clinical outcome still remains a challenge. Ser-Arg (SR) rich splicing factors are important regulators of gene expression and play a critical role in splicing- constitutive as well as alternative, mRNA metabolism and its export. Aberrations in these splicing factors have been implicated in various diseases including cancers. In this study, we have examined the expression profile of Ser-Arg rich splicing factor family (SRSF1-SRSF12) in 23 cancerous cell lines of various origins, oral cancer patient samples (n=40), healthy controls (n=26) and multiple healthy adult tissues (n=16) using quantitative Real Time PCR. We observed tissue-specific expression levels of different SR splicing factor family members in healthy adult tissues. Interestingly, splicing factors- SRSF3, SRSF10, and SRSF11 were significantly upregulated in patients with late-stage of oral cancer compared to patients with pre-malignant or early-stage of oral cancer. Similarly, SRSF3 and SRSF10 were also upregulated in oral cancer cell lines. Our results indicate a crucial role of SRSF3 and SRSF10 in cancer progression.