BCLAF1 and its splicing regulator SRSF10 regulate the tumorigenic potential of colon cancer cells

Bcl-2-associated transcription factor 1 (BCLAF1) is known to be involved in multiple biological processes. Although several splice variants of BCLAF1 have been identified, little is known about how BCLAF1 splicing is regulated or the contribution of alternative splicing to its developmental functions. Here we find that inclusion of alternative exon5a was significantly increased in colorectal cancer (CRC) samples. Knockdown of the BCLAF1 protein isoform resulting from exon5a inclusion inhibited growth and that its overexpression increased tumorigenic potential. We also found that the splicing factor SRSF10 stimulates inclusion of exon5a and has growth-inducing activity. Importantly, the upregulation of SRSF10 expression observed in clinical CRC samples parallels the increased inclusion of BCLAF1 exon5a, both of which are associated with higher tumour grade. These findings identify SRSF10 as a key regulator of BCLAF1 pre-mRNA splicing and the maintenance of oncogenic features in human colon cancer cells. Alternative splicing often alters the biological function of proteins. Here, Zhou et al . show that the splicing factor SRSF10 directs the inclusion of exon5a in Bcl-2-associated transcription factor 1, and that this drives cell growth and tumorigenic potential in human colon cancer cells.