Post-Transcriptional Control of RNA Expression in Cancer

Abstract

Approximately 80% of the human genome contains functional DNA, including protein coding genes, non-protein coding regulatory DNA elements and non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs). An altered transcriptional signature is not only a cause, but also a consequence of the characteristics known as the hallmarks of cancer, such as sustained proliferation, replicative immortality, evasion of growth suppression and apoptotic signals, angiogenesis, invasion, metastasis, evasion of immune destruction and metabolic rewiring. Post-transcriptional events play a major role in determining this signature, which is evidenced by the fact that alternative RNA splicing takes place in more than half of the human genes, and, among protein coding genes, more than 60% contain at least one conserved miRNA-binding site. In this chapter, we will discuss the involvement of posttranscriptional events, such as RNA processing, the action of non-coding RNAs and RNA decay in cancer development, and how their machinery may be used in cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Down-regulation of ERAP1 mRNA expression in non-small cell lung cancer

“…Why is that? Similar to many other genes, ERAP1 expression can be down-regulated in cancer cells by different mechanisms, including epigenetics (DNA methylation, histone post-translational modification), transcriptional and translational regulation, as well as post-translational modifications [ 28 , 29 ]. In lung tumor tissue, the effect of rs26653 (or another SNP being in strong LD with it) on ERAP1 expression may be masked by other mechanisms regulating expression, characteristic of this cancer type.…”