Study finds a molecule that regulates the development of multiple human cancers

The study, published recently in the journal Nature Communications, reveals how RPSAP52 RNA molecules trigger cell proliferation and eliminate their differentiation, making tumor cells more prone to reproduction and proliferationimage Source: The non-coding region of the Nature Communications genome is a DNA sequence of unencoded proteins and is therefore not considered a common geneOften, when genes are encoded, the DNA-reading machine begins to transcribe its information to another simple RNA molecule, which is then transcribed into a protein with a specific functionOn the other hand, some areas that do not encode any proteins can be read and transcribed, although eventually they will not be translatedThese transcription products are intermediate molecules whose function is worth studying because they play a vital role in the regulation and transmission of signals in cellular processes, as in this studyGuil and her team studied a non-coding sequence that was associated with a sequence encoded for HMGA2, a common cancer-causing gene, in different types of cancerThe non-coding sequence that produces RPSAP52 is only "front" of HMGA2Researchers have found that it regulates a range of events in which tumor cells increase and tumor tissue expands"RPSAP52 is an antonyced transcription that regulates the entire HMGA2 / IGF2BP2 / RAS signaling pathway, which has a high pro-proliferation and anti-differentiation function, so its activation promotes cell growth and keeps cells in a non-differentiated state, just as happens in most malignant cancer cells." Guil explains"Under normal circumstances, in healthy cells, RPSAP52 is expressed only at the embryonic level and silent in most adult tissuesHowever, in many cancers, it is abnormally re-expressed and promotes the versatility and high replication of tumor cellsShe addedThis study was carried out using a combination of in vitro methods and in vivo studies in animal modelsTHE TUMOR-CAUSING EFFECT OF RPSAP52 IN BREAST CANCER AND SARCOM HAS BEEN DEMONSTRATED AS A BIOMARKERGuil notes that the fact that this non-coding RNA is re-expressed and plays an important role in most human tumors reinforces the perception of the function of non-coding genomes, which are often minimized in the regulation of cellular procedures, especially in pathological environments"This finding is significant for translation studies because these molecules are usually at low levelsAs a result, they are more likely to be attacked and destroyed than coded genes next study will focus on building in vivo tumor models and testing small molecules that destroy RPSAP52 to study their effecton on tumor growth References: Cristina Oliveira-Mateos et al The transcribed pseudogene RPSAP52 enhances the onopo HMGA2-IGF2BP2-RAS axis over LIN28B-en and independent let-inhibit 7inhibit 7ion, Nature Communications (2019) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-11910-6