Title: A Critical Role for Alternative RNA Splicing in EMT and Breast Cancer Progression

Speaker: CHENG Chonghui

               M.D., Ph.D. Assistant Professor,

               Department of Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago

Host: ZHANG Zhihua

Time: 10: 00-11: 00 am , Aug 30, 2013

Location: First-floor seminar hall, Conference Room, BIG, CAS

Abstract: Tumor metastasis is the major cause of mortality in cancer patients. A common feature of metastatic tumor cells is that they possess abnormal activation of a developmental process called epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Our recent work demonstrates for the first time that RNA regulation at the level of alternative splicing constitutes a novel mechanism that controls EMT and breast cancer progression. We further show that the phenotypic switch of EMT is controlled by splicing factors through alternative RNA splicing regulation of its target genes.