SNRPD3 promotes endometrial cancer progression via regulating SREBF1 intron retention
Alternative splicing (AS) serves as a pivotal post-transcriptional regulatory mechanism that drives tumorigenesis. Small nuclear ribonucleoprotein D3 (SNRPD3), an indispensable component of the spliceosome, is aberrantly expressed in multiple malignancies. Nevertheless, its biological functions and underlying mechanisms in the pathobiology of endometrial cancer (EC) remains unknown. We demonstrated that SNRPD3 was significantly upregulated in human EC tissues. Knockdown of SNRPD3 markedly inhibited EC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro and suppressed tumor growth in subcutaneous xenograft models. Mechanistically, silencing SNRPD3 increased intron retention in SREBF1 mRNA. Furthermore, depletion of SREBF1 abolished the enhanced proliferative capacity and lipid metabolism in both parental EC cells and SNRPD3-overexpressing EC cells. Notably, antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs)-mediated silencing of SNRPD3 markedly repressed EC cell growth and metastatic potential in vitro, and effectively impeded tumor progression in patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models. Collectively, our findings reveal that SNRPD3 serves as an oncogenic splicing factor that promotes EC proliferation and metastasis by regulating SREBF1 mRNA splicing. Given its potent antitumor efficacy in preclinical PDX models, ASO-targeted SNRPD3 may represent a promising therapeutic strategy for endometrial cancer.