Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2012, 13(10), 13134-13139; doi:10.3390/ijms131013134
Communication

A Tumor Surveillance Model: A Non-Coding RNA Senses Neoplastic Cells and Its Protein Partner Signals Cell Death

Sung Ho Jeon 1 email, Betty H. Johnson 2 email and Yong Sun Lee 2,* email
1 Department of Life Science, Hallym University, Chuncheon 200-702, Korea 2 Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX77555, USA
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 31 July 2012; in revised form: 22 September 2012 / Accepted: 26 September 2012 / Published: 12 October 2012
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Non-Coding RNAs 2012)
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Abstract: nc886 (= pre-miR-886 or vtRNA2-1) is a non-coding RNA that has been recently identified as a natural repressor for the activity of PKR (Protein Kinase R). The suppression of nc886 activates PKR and thereby provokes a cell death pathway. When combined with the fact that nc886 is suppressed in a wide range of cancer cells, the nc886-PKR relationship suggests a tumor surveillance model. When neoplastic cells develop and nc886 decreases therein, PKR is released from nc886 and becomes the active phosphorylated form, which initiates an apoptotic cascade to eliminate those cells. The nc886-PKR pathway is distinct from conventional mechanisms, such as the immune surveillance hypothesis or intrinsic mechanisms that check/proofread the genomic integrity, and thus represents a novel example of tumor surveillance.
Keywords: nc886; non-coding RNA; PKR (Protein Kinase R); tumor; surveillance

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MDPI and ACS Style

Jeon, S.H.; Johnson, B.H.; Lee, Y.S. A Tumor Surveillance Model: A Non-Coding RNA Senses Neoplastic Cells and Its Protein Partner Signals Cell Death. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2012, 13, 13134-13139.

AMA Style

Jeon SH, Johnson BH, Lee YS. A Tumor Surveillance Model: A Non-Coding RNA Senses Neoplastic Cells and Its Protein Partner Signals Cell Death. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2012; 13(10):13134-13139.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Jeon, Sung H.; Johnson, Betty H.; Lee, Yong S. 2012. "A Tumor Surveillance Model: A Non-Coding RNA Senses Neoplastic Cells and Its Protein Partner Signals Cell Death." Int. J. Mol. Sci. 13, no. 10: 13134-13139.

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