The Role and Therapeutic Target Potential of RBPs in Cancer

Dear Colleagues,

Proteome-wide studies have established a comprehensive catalogue of more than 1500 RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), of which only a few were analyzed in the context of cancer. RBPs serve essential roles in guiding the gene expression from the nucleus to the cytoplasm. Their dysregulation has been associated with various human diseases; in particular, cancer initiation and progression. However, our understanding of pathophysiological mechanisms underlying RBP-guided regulation in cancer remains rudimentary, partially due to their pleiotropic target engagement with coding as well as non-coding RNAs. Deciphering these mechanisms is essential to pursue the evaluation of RBPs as drug target candidates in cancer therapy. Despite the lack of catalytic activity in most classical RBPs, increasing reports on lead compounds for RBP inhibition in cancer highlight their potential as drug targets.

The goal of this Special Issue is to broaden our molecular understanding about the role of RBPs in cancer as well as to highlight their potential to significantly contribute to personalized precision medicine efforts in the future. Hence, this Special Issue will feature target discovery strategies as well as novel developments in therapeutic and diagnostic approaches based on RBPs for cancer detection and treatment, including the use of small molecules, nanomedicine and biomaterials. We invite authors to submit their original research as well as review articles describing basic and translational findings with a special focus on RBPs and their role in human cancers.

Prof. Dr. Stefan Hüttelmaier
Prof. Dr. Tony Gutschner
Guest Editors

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