Oncogenic MYC induces a dependency on the spliceosome in human cancer

c-MYC (MYC) overexpression or hyperactivation is one of the most common drivers of human cancer. Despite intensive study, the MYC oncogene remains recalcitrant to therapeutic inhibition. Like other classic oncogenes, hyperactivation of MYC leads to collateral stresses onto cancer cells, suggesting that tumors harbor unique vulnerabilities arising from oncogenic activation of MYC. Herein, we discover the spliceosome as a new target of oncogenic stress in MYC-driven cancers. We identify BUD31 as a MYC-synthetic lethal gene, and demonstrate that BUD31 is a splicing factor required for the assembly and catalytic activity of the spliceosome. Core spliceosomal factors (SF3B1, U2AF1, and others) associate with BUD31 and are also required to tolerate oncogenic MYC. Notably, MYC hyperactivation induces an increase in total pre-mRNA synthesis, suggesting an increased burden on the core spliceosome to process pre-mRNA. In contrast to normal cells, partial inhibition of the spliceosome in MYC-hyperactivated cells leads to global intron retention, widespread defects in pre-mRNA maturation, and deregulation of many essential cell processes. Importantly, genetic or pharmacologic inhibition of the spliceosome in vivo impairs survival, tumorigenicity, and metastatic proclivity of MYC-dependent breast cancers. Collectively, these data suggest that oncogenic MYC confers a collateral stress on splicing and that components of the spliceosome may be therapeutic entry points for aggressive MYC-driven cancers.