Alternative splicing of mRNA in colorectal cancer: new strategies for tumor diagnosis and treatment

Alternative splicing (AS) is an important event that contributes to posttranscriptional gene regulation. This process leads to several mature transcript variants with diverse physiological functions. Indeed, disruption of various aspects of this multistep process, such as cis- or trans- factor alteration, promotes the progression of colorectal cancer. Therefore, targeting some specific processes of AS may be an effective therapeutic strategy for treating cancer. Here, we provide an overview of the AS events related to colorectal cancer based on research done in the past 5 years. We focus on the mechanisms and functions of variant products of AS that are relevant to malignant hallmarks, with an emphasis on variants with clinical significance. In addition, novel strategies for exploiting the therapeutic value of AS events are discussed.