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Author Spotlight: Exploring the Frontier of mRNA Research with Poly A Tail Analysis Techniques
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Alternative polyadenylation: An enigma of transcript length variation in health and disease

Neeraja K Mohanan1,2, Feba Shaji1,3, Ganesh R Koshre1,2

  • 1Cardiovascular and Diabetes Biology Group, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Trivandrum, India.

Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews. RNA
|September 28, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Alternative polyadenylation (APA) generates diverse mRNA transcripts from single genes, impacting protein diversity and human diseases. Targeting APA regulators offers therapeutic potential for diseases like cancer.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Alternative polyadenylation (APA) is a key RNA processing event.
  • APA generates mRNA variants with different 3'-UTR lengths from a single gene.
  • These variations influence mRNA stability, translation, localization, and protein function.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the occurrence and mechanisms of APA.
  • To explore the consequences of APA-driven transcript length variation in human diseases.
  • To highlight the therapeutic potential of targeting APA regulators.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of APA mechanisms and disease associations.
  • Analysis of the relationship between 3'-UTR length and protein expression.
  • Examination of the role of RNA processing factors in disease-associated APA.

Main Results:

  • APA is a significant regulatory mechanism in human disease pathophysiology.
  • Changes in 3'-UTR length due to APA can alter protein expression, though this relationship is complex.
  • Core RNA processing factors, including poly(A) polymerases, are involved in disease-associated APA site selection.

Conclusions:

  • APA contributes to mRNA and protein diversification, playing a role in human diseases.
  • Understanding APA mechanisms is crucial for deciphering disease pathology.
  • Targeting APA regulators presents a promising therapeutic strategy for conditions such as cancer drug resistance.
Keywords:
3′-UTR lengthPA-site selectionStar-PAPalternative polyadenylationcancercleavage and polyadenylation factorsdrug resistancehuman diseasespoly(A) polymerases

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