Doody's Review Service

Reviewer:	Mark Sanders, PhD (UC Davis College of Biological Sciences)

Description
The alternative splicing of the initial messenger RNA transcripts of genes leads to the production of mature mRNAs containing different sequences. The translation of these distinct mRNAs is tightly controlled, varying among specific cell types and during the development of structures. The result is the production of proteins with divergent functions that originate from the same DNA sequence. Gene mutations affecting the mRNA splicing signal sequences lead to aberrant splicing and to protein defects. The aim of this book is to examine the role aberrant splicing plays in cancer development and metastasis.

Purpose
Thousands of distinct mutations are associated with the more than 200 forms of cancer affecting humans. This book addresses the role aberrant splicing of precursor mRNA plays in cancer. These mutations comprise a minority of known cancer mutations. The goal of the editors and authors is to highlight the role of these mutations in cancer. This goal is met by the book's description of numerous splicing mutations in cancer.

Audience
The book identifies the target audience to be research scientists and clinicians investigating cancer development and metastasis. The target audience can also include graduate student researchers and allied medical professionals working in cancer treatment settings. This volume will meet some of the needs of the target audience, but the audience may find the book more useful as a reference resource leading to more in depth resources. The collective expertise of the authors is adequate for the modest goals of this book.

Features
Divided into 11 chapters written by approximately 40 authors, this edited volume devotes the first two chapters to describing the mechanisms of alternative splicing and to identifying examples of aberrant spiling in human disease. The following six chapters explore the roles aberrant splicing plays in mutations associated with various cancers. The next two chapters examine possible roles of alternative splicing in cancer therapeutics and diagnostics. The concluding chapter presents an overview and summary. The principal shortcoming of the book is the high level of redundancy regarding the mechanisms of alternative splicing. Not only is one of the opening chapters dedicated to this topic, but most chapters repeat elements of this basic information in its introduction.

Assessment
This book will be modestly useful to cancer researchers at various levels of expertise and to clinical personnel interested in cancer development. The high level of redundancy makes this book more valuable as a reference resource than as a stand-alone volume exploring a new area of inquiry.