Shortening of 3' UTRs in most cell types composing tumor tissues implicates alternative polyadenylation in protein metabolism.

ABSTRACT: During pre-mRNA maturation 3' end processing can occur at different polyadenylation sites in the 3' untranslated region (3' UTR) to give rise to transcript isoforms that differ in the length of their 3' UTRs. Longer 3' UTRs contain additional cis-regulatory elements that impact the fate of the transcript and/or of the resulting protein. Extensive alternative polyadenylation (APA) has been observed in cancers, but the mechanisms and roles remain elusive. In particular, it is unclear whether the APA occurs in the malignant cells or in other cell types that infiltrate the tumor. To resolve this, we developed a computational method, called SCUREL, that quantifies changes in 3' UTR length between groups of cells, including cells of the same type originating from tumor and control tissue.

SUBMITTER: Burri D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8594477 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature