It is well known that many genes implicated in the development and progression of
breast cancer undergo aberrant alternative splicing events to produce
proteins with pro-
cancer properties. These changes in alternative splicing can arise from mutations or single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the DNA sequences of
cancer-related genes, which can strongly affect the activity of
splicing factors and influence the splice site choice. However, it is important to note that absence of mutations is not sufficient to prevent misleading choices in splice site selection. There is now increasing evidence to demonstrate that the expression profile of ten
splicing factors (including SRs and hnRNPs) and eight
RNA-binding proteins changes in
breast cancer cells compared with normal cells. These modifications strongly influence the alternative splicing pattern of many
cancer-related genes despite the absence of any detrimental mutations within their DNA sequences. Thus, a comprehensive assessment of the
splicing factor status in
breast cancer is important to provide insights into the mechanisms that lead to
breast cancer development and
metastasis. Whilst most studies focus on mutations that affect alternative splicing in
cancer-related genes, this review focuses on
splicing factors and
RNA-binding proteins that are themselves deregulated in
breast cancer and implicated in
cancer-related alternative splicing events.