Work

When MicroRNAs Meet RNA Editing in Cancer: A Nucleotide Change Can Make a Difference

Year: 2017

Type: review

Abstract: RNA editing is a major post-transcriptional mechanism that changes specific nucleotides at the RNA level. The most common RNA editing type in humans is adenosine (A) to inosine (I) editing, which is mediated by ADAR enzymes. RNA editing events can not only change amino acids in proteins, but also affect the functions of non-coding RNAs such as miRNAs. Recent studies have characterized thousands of miRNA RNA editing events across different cancer types. Importantly, individual cases of miRNA editing have been reported to play a role in cancer development. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge of miRNA editing in cancer, and discuss the mechanisms on how miRNA-related editing events modulate the initiation and progression of human cancer. Finally, we discuss the challenges and future directions of studying miRNA editing in cancer.

Source: BioEssays

DOI: 10.1002/bies.201700188

Authors: Yumeng Wang, Han Liang

Institutions: The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine

Language: English

Topic: RNA regulation and disease

Subfield: Molecular Biology

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funder: National Cancer Institute