RNA Editing
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Biology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2020) | Viewed by 7562
Special Issue Editor
Interests: RNA splicing; RNA editing; gene expression; genetic code restration
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
RNA editing is a physiological process during which RNA nucleobases are excised, inserted, or post-transcriptionally modified, resulting in changes in the genetic code and expansion of the coding capacity of the genome. RNA editing was first observed in Trypanosoma as the deletion and insertion of nucleobases in RNA. Today, RNA editing is considered a universal phenomenon in higher eukaryotes. In mammalia, RNA editing is caused by nucleobase deamination, resulting in A-to-I and C-to-U conversions, and occurs in a wide range of tissues and is catalyzed by adenosine deaminase acting on RNA (ADAR) and APOBEC (apolipoprotein B mRNA editing enzyme, catalytic polypeptide) family enzymes. However, RNA editing is not limited to only these two types, and U-to-C, U-to-A, and A-to-U conversions resulting from RNA editing are found in plant mitochondria and plastids. The editosome in plants comprises pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) proteins, multiple organellar RNA editing factors (MORFs), and zinc finger proteins. Cytidine deaminase motifs for C-to-U conversion are found within the DYW domain of PPR proteins. Despite these advances, it is entirely possible that we have only scraped the surface and that many other enzymes catalyzing RNA editing still remain to be discovered.
Recently, RNA editing machineries have started to attract considerable attention because of their potential therapeutic applications in the treatment of genetic diseases. However, it is nearly impossible to perform genome editing in patients because RNA editing machineries cannot be delivered easily to trillions of cells while at the same time ensuring that they work correctly in the cells they were designed to treat. Even if the RNA editing machinery could be delivered to patient cells, mutated RNAs might be expressed. If it were possible to fix or restore mutated RNAs via artificial RNA editing, patient symptoms might be reduced. In this Special Issue, we would like to summarize the current state of knowledge on RNA editing, particularly with respect to its future clinical applications.
Prof. Toshifumi Tsukahara
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- deaminase
- guide RNA
- point mutation
- genetic code
- artificial enzyme
- editosome
- PPR proteins
- ADAR
- APOBEC