%0 Journal Article
%T Versatility of RNA-Binding Proteins in Cancer
%A Laurence Wurth
%J International Journal of Genomics
%D 2012
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2012/178525
%X Posttranscriptional gene regulation is a rapid and efficient process to adjust the proteome of a cell to a changing environment. RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are the master regulators of mRNA processing and translation and are often aberrantly expressed in cancer. In addition to well-studied transcription factors, RBPs are emerging as fundamental players in tumor development. RBPs and their mRNA targets form a complex network that plays a crucial role in tumorigenesis. This paper describes mechanisms by which RBPs influence the expression of well-known oncogenes, focusing on precise examples that illustrate the versatility of RBPs in posttranscriptional control of cancer development. RBPs appeared very early in evolution, and new RNA-binding domains and combinations of them were generated in more complex organisms. The identification of RBPs, their mRNA targets, and their mechanism of action have provided novel potential targets for cancer therapy. 1. Introduction Traditionally, it has been well accepted that cancer development is dictated in part by aberrant transcriptional events and signaling pathways. More recently, it has become clear that posttranscriptional regulation of gene expression also controls cell proliferation, differentiation, invasion, metastasis, apoptosis, and angiogenesis which influence initiation and progression of cancer [1¨C4]. Regulation of already transcribed messenger RNAs (mRNAs) is an efficient and rapid way to alter gene expression and plays a crucial role in tumorigenesis. After transcription, nascent mRNAs undergo several processing steps including splicing, capping, 3¡ä end formation, surveillance, nucleocytoplasmic transport, and, for many transcripts, localization before being translated and finally degraded [5, 6]. The mRNA does not exist alone in the cell, and its metabolism is largely defined by bound RNA-binding proteins (RBPs). RBPs, which regulate all steps of RNA biogenesis, form dynamic units with the RNA, called ribonucleoprotein complexes (RNPs) [7]. Different sets of RBPs are associated to the mRNA at different time points and in different compartments, thereby regulating the fate of their target in a time- and space-dependent way. RBPs often provide a landing platform for the recruitment of additional factors and enzymes to the mRNA. RBPs are the master regulators of post-transcriptional gene expression and, thus, are expected to play important roles in cancer development [1]. Besides RBPs, the discovery of microRNAs (miRNA) was of great inspiration for the RNA field and provided a new powerful tool to
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijg/2012/178525/