Regulation of Mcl-1 alternative splicing by hnRNP F, H1 and K in breast cancer cells

Myeloid cell leukemia-1 (Mcl −1) is one of the most frequently amplified genes in cancer, and its overexpression is associated with poor prognosis and drug resistance. As a member of the Bcl-2 family it is involved in the control of the mitochondrial (intrinsic) cell death pathway. Alternative splicing of the (<i>Mcl-1</i>) gene results in the expression of two functionally distinct proteins, the anti-apoptotic Mcl-1_L (exon 2 included) and the pro-apoptotic Mcl-1_S (exon 2 skipped). Our data shows that transfecting siRNAs that target hnRNP K and the hnRNP F/H family result in a switch in splicing towards the pro-apoptotic Mcl-1_S. Specific binding sites for these and other Mcl-1 splicing factors were investigated and identified by RNA immunoprecipitation and through construction of a Mcl-1 minigene construct. Moreover, this study shows up to a 30 fold change in the levels of Mcl-1_S can be achieved through double and triple knockdowns of the most significant RNA binding proteins involved in Mcl-1 splicing, as well as activation of the mitochondrial cell death pathway. Targeting the splicing process of Mcl-1 along with other apoptotic regulators provides an exciting new therapeutic target in cancer cells, and may provide a way to overcome therapy resistance.