Insights from structures of cancer-relevant pre-mRNA splicing factors

Pre-mRNA splicing factors recognize consensus signals within preliminary transcripts, and as cogs of the spliceosome machine, orchestrate the excision and rejoining of pre-mRNA regions for gene expression. Large-scale sequencing has demonstrated that mutations in key genes encoding pre-mRNA splicing factors are common among myeloid neoplasms and also occur in a variety of other cancers. This revelation offers new therapeutic opportunities to target pre-mRNA splicing vulnerabilities in hematologic and other malignancies. The mutated residues typically alter 3′ splice site choice for a subset of transcripts. In this review, we highlight mechanistic insights from recent 3D structures that reveal the affected residues poised for pre-mRNA recognition.