Alternative splicing facilitates the splicing of
precursor RNA into different
isoforms. Alternatively spliced transcripts often exhibit antagonistic functions or differential temporal or spatial expression patterns. There is increasing evidence that alternative splicing, especially by the
serine-
arginine rich (SR)
protein family, leads to abnormal expression patterns and is closely related to the development of
cancer. SRSF3, also known as SRp20, is a
splicing factor. Through alternative splicing, it plays important roles in regulating various biological functions, such as cell cycle, cell proliferation, migration and invasion, under pathological and physiological conditions. Deregulation of SRSF3 is an essential feature of
cancers. SRSF3 is also considered a candidate therapeutic target. Therefore, the involvement of abnormal splicing in
tumorigenesis and the regulation of
splicing factors deserve further analysis and discussion. Here, we summarize the function of SRSF3-regulated alternative transcripts in
cancer cell biology at different stages of
tumor development and the regulation of SRSF3 in
tumorigenesis.