The Editor’s I on Disease Development

Publication date: Available online 22 October 2019Source: Trends in GeneticsAuthor(s): Mamta Jain, Michael F. Jantsch, Konstantin LichtAdenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I) editing of RNA leads to deamination of adenosine to inosine. Inosine is interpreted as guanosine by the cellular machinery, thus altering the coding, folding, splicing, or transport of transcripts. A-to-I editing is tightly regulated. Altered editing has severe consequences for human health and can cause interferonopathies, neurological disorders, and cardiovascular disease, as well as impacting on cancer progression. ADAR1-mediated RNA editing plays an important role in antiviral immunity and is essential for distinguishing between endogenous and viral RNA, thereby preventing autoimmune disorders. Interestingly, A-to-I editing can be used not only to correct genomic mutations at the RNA level but also to modulate tumor antigenicity with large therapeutic potential. We highlight recent developments in the field, focusing on cancer and other human diseases.
Source: Trends in Genetics - Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Source Type: research