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Who Watches the Watchmen: Roles of RNA Modifications in the RNA Interference Pathway

RNA levels are widely thought to be predictive of RNA function. However, the existence of more than a hundred chemically distinct modifications of RNA alone is a major indication that these moieties may impart distinct functions to subgroups of RNA molecules that share a primary sequence but display...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Shelton, Samantha B., Reinsborough, Calder, Xhemalce, Blerta
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Public Library of Science 2016
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4956115/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27441695
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1006139
Descripción
Sumario:RNA levels are widely thought to be predictive of RNA function. However, the existence of more than a hundred chemically distinct modifications of RNA alone is a major indication that these moieties may impart distinct functions to subgroups of RNA molecules that share a primary sequence but display distinct RNA “epigenetic” marks. RNAs can be modified on many sites, including 5′ and 3′ ends, the sugar phosphate backbone, or internal bases, which collectively provide many opportunities for posttranscriptional regulation through a variety of mechanisms. Here, we will focus on how modifications on messenger and microRNAs may affect the process of RNA interference in mammalian cells. We believe that taking RNA modifications into account will not only advance our understanding of this crucial pathway in disease and cancer but will also open the path to exploiting the enzymes that “write” and “erase” them as targets for therapeutic drug development.