Regulatory roles of LINE-1-encoded reverse transcriptase in cancer onset and progression.

ABSTRACT: LINE-1 retrotransposons encode the reverse transcriptase (RT) enzyme, required for their own mobility, the expression of which is inhibited in differentiated tissues while being active in tumors. Experimental evidence indicate that the inhibition of LINE-1-derived RT restores differentiation in cancer cells, inhibits tumor progression and yields globally reprogrammed transcription profiles. Newly emerging data suggest that LINE-1-encoded RT modulates the biogenesis of miRNAs, by governing the balance between the production of regulatory double-stranded RNAs and RNA:DNA hybrid molecules, with a direct impact on global gene expression. Abnormally high RT activity unbalances the transcriptome in cancer cells, while RT inhibition restores "normal" miRNA profiles and their regulatory networks.

SUBMITTER: Sciamanna I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4226666 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature