The structural view of the protein PGD-219aa encoded by the circular RNA CircPGD

Circular RNAs (circRNAs), belonging to the class of non-coding RNA molecules, have emerged as one of the key regulators of gene expression. Some of the circRNAs have proven protein-coding potentials, and their gene products play significant roles in various physiological and pathological processes. One such protein is PGD-219aa, which is derived from the circRNA named CircPGD. The protein has been shown to regulate the SMAD3 and YAP signalling pathways in gastric cancer. However, only the amino acid sequence of the protein is available to date without any reports on its structure-function relationships. Therefore, we used computational methods to characterise the protein and decipher its functional roles. Furthermore, we performed pathway analyses to shed light on the biochemical avenues where the protein might have a significant presence. From our analyses, we could point towards the importance of a key amino acid residue, Ser177, which might have fundamental functional roles. Future studies might involve targeting this particular amino acid to delineate its functional characteristics. Subsequently, we could propose the association of the protein not only to gastric cancer but also with other diseases as well. Through this work, we tried to analyse the plausible details of the functional roles of the protein. Our work may help in future drug development endeavours to combat the spread of gastric cancer tumours. CONTEXT: Circular RNAs (circRNAs), belonging to the class of non-coding RNA molecules, have emerged as one of the key regulators of gene expression. Some of the circRNAs have proven protein-coding potentials, and their gene products play significant roles in various physiological and pathological processes. One such protein is PGD-219aa, which is derived from the circRNA named CircPGD. The protein has been shown to regulate the SMAD3 and YAP signalling pathways in gastric cancer. However, only the amino acid sequence of the protein is available to date without any reports on its structure-function relationships. From our analyses, we could point towards the importance of a key amino acid residue, Ser177, which might have fundamental functional roles. Future studies might involve targeting this particular amino acid to delineate its functional characteristics. Subsequently, we could propose the association of the protein not only to gastric cancer but also with other diseases as well. Through this work, we tried to analyse the plausible details of the functional roles of the protein. Our work may help in future drug development endeavours to combat the spread of gastric cancer tumours. METHODS: Therefore, we used computational methods to characterise the protein and decipher its functional roles. Furthermore, we performed pathway analyses to shed light on the biochemical avenues where the protein might have a significant presence.