tRNA modifications and their potential roles in pancreatic cancer

Hua Huang; Huan Li; Ruining Pan; Sijia Wang; Xinhui Liu

doi:10.1016/j.abb.2021.109083

tRNA modifications and their potential roles in pancreatic cancer

Arch Biochem Biophys. 2021 Dec 15:714:109083. doi: 10.1016/j.abb.2021.109083. Epub 2021 Nov 13.

Authors

Hua Huang¹, Huan Li¹, Ruining Pan¹, Sijia Wang¹, Xinhui Liu²

Affiliations

¹ Center of Excellence for Environmental Safety and Biological Effects, Beijing International Science and Technology Cooperation Base for Antiviral Drugs, Faculty of Environment and Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, 100124, China.
² Center of Excellence for Environmental Safety and Biological Effects, Beijing International Science and Technology Cooperation Base for Antiviral Drugs, Faculty of Environment and Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, 100124, China. Electronic address: Liuxinhui@bjut.edu.cn.

PMID: 34785212
DOI: 10.1016/j.abb.2021.109083

Abstract

Since the breakthrough discovery of N6-methyladenosine (m⁶A), the field of RNA epitranscriptomics has attracted increasing interest in the biological sciences. Transfer RNAs (tRNAs) are extensively modified, and various modifications play a crucial role in the formation and stability of tRNA, which is universally required for accurate and efficient functioning of tRNA. Abnormal tRNA modification can lead to tRNA degradation or specific cleavage of tRNA into fragmented derivatives, thus affecting the translation process and frequently accompanying a variety of human diseases. Increasing evidence suggests that tRNA modification pathways are also misregulated in human cancers. In this review, we summarize tRNA modifications and their biological functions, describe the type and frequency of tRNA modification alterations in cancer, and highlight variations in tRNA-modifying enzymes and the multiple functions that they regulate in different types of cancers. Furthermore, the current implications and the potential role of tRNA modifications in the progression of pancreatic cancer are discussed. Collectively, this review describes recent advances in tRNA modification in cancers and its potential significance in pancreatic cancer. Further study of the mechanism of tRNA modifications in pancreatic cancer may provide possibilities for therapies targeting enzymes responsible for regulating tRNA modifications in pancreatic cancer.

Keywords: Cancer; Methylation; Pancreatic cancer; tRNA modification; tsRNA.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal / genetics*
Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal / pathology
Disease Progression
Humans
Pancreatic Neoplasms / genetics*
Pancreatic Neoplasms / pathology
RNA Processing, Post-Transcriptional
RNA, Transfer / genetics*

Substances

RNA, Transfer