RNA regulation and cancer development

• Published in: Cancer letters Vol. 246; no. 1; pp. 12 - 23
• Main Authors: Scholzová, Eva, Malík, Radek, Ševčík, Jan, Kleibl, Zdeněk
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ireland Elsevier Ireland Ltd 08.02.2007; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Alternative Splicing; Cancer; Cancer therapies; DNA methylation; Gene Expression Regulation; Hematology, Oncology and Palliative Medicine; Humans; Kinases; Medical research; microRNA; Models, Genetic; Mutation; Neoplasms - genetics; Neoplasms - pathology; Nonsense-mediated decay; RNA Editing; RNA Interference; RNA Stability; RNA, Messenger - genetics; RNA, Messenger - metabolism; Alternative splicing; RNA interference; non-coding RNA; adenosine deaminases acting on RNAs; mating-type switch/sucrose nonfermenting; ADAR; small interfering RNA; BRCA1; ncRNA; exon junction complex; premature termination codon; SWI/SNF; non-sense mediated decay; miRNA; double stranded RNA; dsRNA; Nonsense-mediated decay; RNA editing; RNAi; NMD; siRNA; microRNA; breast cancer 1; PTC; Cancer; EJC
• ISSN: 0304-3835; 1872-7980
• DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2006.03.021

Abstract Cancer is viewed as a genetic disease. According to the currently accepted model of carcinogenesis, several consequential mutations in oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes are necessary for cancer development. In this model, mutated DNA sequence is transcribed to mRNA that is finally translated into functionally aberrant protein. mRNA is viewed solely as an intermediate between DNA (with ‘coding’ potential) and protein (with ‘executive’ function). However, recent findings suggest that (m)RNA is actively regulated by a variety of processes including nonsense-mediated decay, alternative splicing, RNA editing or RNA interference. Moreover, RNA molecules can regulate a variety of cellular functions through interactions with RNA, DNA as well as protein molecules. Although, the precise contribution of RNA molecules by themselves and RNA-regulated processes on cancer development is currently unknown, recent data suggest their important role in carcinogenesis. Here, we summarize recent knowledge on RNA-related processes and discuss their potential role in cancer development.