title: RNA-binding proteins as molecular links between cancer and neurodegeneration.
abstract: For many years, epidemiological studies have suggested an association between cancer and neurodegenerative disorders-two disease processes that seemingly have little in common. Although these two disease processes share disruptions in a wide range of cellular pathways, including cell survival, cell death and the cell cycle, the end result is very divergent: uncontrolled cell survival and proliferation in cancer and progressive neuronal cell death in neurodegeneration. Despite the clinical data connecting these two disease processes, little is known about the molecular links between them. Among the mechanisms affected in cancer and neurodegenerative diseases, alterations in RNA metabolism are obtaining significant attention given the critical role for RNA transcription, maturation, transport, stability, degradation and translation in normal cellular function. RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are integral to each stage of RNA metabolism through their participation in the formation of ribonucleoprotein complexes (RNPs). RBPs have a broad range of functions including posttranscriptional regulation of mRNA stability, splicing, editing and translation, mRNA export and localization, mRNA polyadenylation and miRNA biogenesis, ultimately impacting the expression of every single gene in the cell. In this review, we examine the evidence for RBPs as being key a molecular linkages between cancer and neurodegeneration.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Medicine Group, Robarts Research Institute, Western University, London, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Danae
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Campos-Melo
authors.forename: Cristian A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Droppelmann
authors.forename: Kathryn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Volkening
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Strong
mesh_terms: D000243:Adenosine Deaminase / Q000378:metabolism; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D051959:ELAV Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D051860:Fragile X Messenger Ribonucleoprotein 1 / Q000378:metabolism; D020662:Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D034802:RNA-Binding Protein EWS / Q000378:metabolism; D034702:RNA-Binding Protein FUS / Q000378:metabolism; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D012259:Ribonuclease, Pancreatic / Q000378:metabolism; D035381:TATA-Binding Protein Associated Factors / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000243:Adenosine Deaminase; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D051959:ELAV Proteins; D051860:Fragile X Messenger Ribonucleoprotein 1; D020662:Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm; D034802:RNA-Binding Protein EWS; D034702:RNA-Binding Protein FUS; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; D012259:Ribonuclease, Pancreatic; D035381:TATA-Binding Protein Associated Factors; C551174:ARHGEF28 protein, human; C497683:FMR1 protein, human; C000599550:FUS protein, human; C102041:TAF15 protein, human; C000598624:TARDBP protein, human; C046366:angiogenin