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Updated: Jul 11, 2026
09:06
MicroRNA Amplification and Recognition through Locked-nucleic-acid In situ Hybridization as a Novel Detection and Quantification Method
Published on: October 7, 2025
mRNA stability and cancer: an emerging link?
Don Benjamin1, Christoph Moroni
1Institute for Medical Microbiology, Petersplatz 10, 4001 Basel, Switzerland. Don.Benjamin@unibas.ch
Expert Opinion on Biological Therapy
|October 6, 2007
Summary
Post-transcriptional regulation of mRNA turnover is crucial for controlling oncogenes and growth factors. Dysregulation of these mechanisms, particularly mRNA decay, plays a significant role in cancer development and presents therapeutic opportunities.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Cancer Research
- Gene Regulation
Background:
- Many critical genes, including oncogenes, growth factors, cytokines, and cell-cycle genes, are regulated post-transcriptionally.
- The primary mechanism involves controlling messenger RNA (mRNA) turnover rates, especially for transcripts with destabilizing cis-elements.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the role of deregulated post-transcriptional control in oncogenesis.
- To discuss specific post-transcriptionally regulated transcripts relevant to cancer.
- To explore the connection between signaling pathways and post-transcriptional regulation in cancer.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of studies on post-transcriptional gene regulation in cancer.
- Analysis of mRNA turnover mechanisms and their regulatory factors.
- Examination of signaling pathways involved in oncogenesis and mRNA stability.
Main Results:
- A limited number of regulatory factors control a large set of target mRNAs, implying broad effects from minor perturbations.
- mRNA turnover is responsive to signaling pathways frequently hyperactive in cancer.
- Post-transcriptional control is an integral component of oncogenesis, alongside transcriptional regulation.
Conclusions:
- Deregulated mRNA turnover is implicated in cancer development.
- Signaling pathways link transcriptional and post-transcriptional processes in oncogenesis.
- Targeting post-transcriptional mechanisms offers a promising therapeutic avenue for cancer treatment.
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