From “Cellular” RNA to “Smart” RNA: Multiple Roles of RNA in Genome Stability and Beyond
Year: 2018
Type: review
Abstract: Coding for proteins has been considered the main function of RNA since the "central dogma" of biology was proposed. The discovery of noncoding transcripts shed light on additional roles of RNA, ranging from the support of polypeptide synthesis, to the assembly of subnuclear structures, to gene expression modulation. Cellular RNA has therefore been recognized as a central player in often unanticipated biological processes, including genomic stability. This ever-expanding list of functions inspired us to think of RNA as a "smart" phone, which has replaced the older obsolete "cellular" phone. In this review, we summarize the last two decades of advances in research on the interface between RNA biology and genome stability. We start with an account of the emergence of noncoding RNA, and then we discuss the involvement of RNA in DNA damage signaling and repair, telomere maintenance, and genomic rearrangements. We continue with the depiction of single-molecule RNA detection techniques, and we conclude by illustrating the possibilities of RNA modulation in hopes of creating or improving new therapies. The widespread biological functions of RNA have made this molecule a reoccurring theme in basic and translational research, warranting it the transcendence from classically studied "cellular" RNA to "smart" RNA.
Source: Chemical Reviews
Language: English
Topic: RNA Research and Splicing
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funders: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, U.S. Department of Education, Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung, Fondazione Cariplo, Collegio Ghislieri di Pavia, Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca sul Cancro, National Institutes of Health, Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Michigan, National Institute of General Medical Sciences, Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, H2020 European Research Council, FP7 Ideas: European Research Council
Awards: G141600148, G2235200382, G2761706083, G2871399071, G3189847801, G4070715807, G4576909414, Cellular and Molecular Biology at Michigan, G5777743328, G6267398392, G6287590121, Understanding Epigenetic Mechanisms of Developmental Genome Rearrangements., Mechanisms of RNA-guided genome editing in eukaryotes, RNA-mediated DNA break repair, G79247418, G7936749423, Understanding epigenetic mechanisms of complex genome editing in eukaryotes, A novel role for DICER in breast cancer prevention, Understanding Epigenetic Mechanisms of Developmental Genome Rearrangements.
OpenAlex ID: W2794746967