Noncanonical immune response to the inhibition of DNA methylation by Staufen1 via stabilization of endogenous retrovirus RNAs.

ABSTRACT: DNA-methyltransferase inhibitors (DNMTis), such as azacitidine and decitabine, are used clinically to treat myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Decitabine activates the transcription of endogenous retroviruses (ERVs), which can induce immune response by acting as cellular double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs). Yet, the posttranscriptional regulation of ERV dsRNAs remains uninvestigated. Here, we find that the viral mimicry and subsequent cell death in response to decitabine require the dsRNA-binding protein Staufen1 (Stau1). We show that Stau1 directly binds to ERV RNAs and stabilizes them in a genome-wide manner. Furthermore, Stau1-mediated stabilization requires a long noncoding RNA TINCR, which enhances the interaction between Stau1 and ERV RNAs. Analysis of a clini

SUBMITTER: Ku Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8020767 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature