title: RNA-Mediated Regulation of HMGA1 Function.
abstract: The high mobility group protein A1 (HMGA1) is a master regulator of chromatin structure mediating its major gene regulatory activity by direct interactions with A/T-rich DNA sequences located in the promoter and enhancer regions of a large variety of genes. HMGA1 DNA-binding through three AT-hook motifs results in an open chromatin structure and subsequently leads to changes in gene expression. Apart from its significant expression during development, HMGA1 is over-expressed in virtually every cancer, where HMGA1 expression levels correlate with tumor malignancy. The exogenous overexpression of HMGA1 can lead to malignant cell transformation, assigning the protein a key role during cancerogenesis. Recent studies have unveiled highly specific competitive interactions of HMGA1 with cellular and viral RNAs also through an AT-hook domain of the protein, significantly impacting the HMGA1-dependent gene expression. In this review, we discuss the structure and function of HMGA1-RNA complexes during transcription and epigenomic regulation and their implications in HMGA1-related diseases.
authors.forename: Arndt G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Benecke
authors.forename: Sebastian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Eilebrecht
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D042002:Chromatin Assembly and Disassembly; D024003:HMGA Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011485:Protein Binding; D012342:RNA, Small Nuclear / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D024003:HMGA Proteins; D012342:RNA, Small Nuclear; D012367:RNA, Viral