Not So Dead Genes-Retrocopies as Regulators of Their Disease-Related Progenitors and Hosts

Retroposition is RNA-based gene duplication leading to the creation of single exon nonfunctional copies. Nevertheless, over time, many of these duplicates acquire transcriptional capabilities. In human in most cases, these so-called retrogenes do not code for proteins but function as regulatory long...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cells (Basel, Switzerland) Switzerland), 2021-04, Vol.10 (4), p.912
Main Authors: Ciomborowska-Basheer, Joanna, Staszak, Klaudia, Kubiak, Magdalena Regina, Makałowska, Izabela
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alternative splicing
Bioinformatics
Breast cancer
disease
Epigenetics
Gastric cancer
Gene duplication
Gene expression
Genomes
Genotype & phenotype
host gene
Insects
Liver cancer
lncRNA
Metastasis
MicroRNAs
miRNA
Mutation
Ovarian cancer
parental gene
Pathogenesis
Proteins
Pseudogenes
retrocopies
retroposition
Review
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Summary:Retroposition is RNA-based gene duplication leading to the creation of single exon nonfunctional copies. Nevertheless, over time, many of these duplicates acquire transcriptional capabilities. In human in most cases, these so-called retrogenes do not code for proteins but function as regulatory long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs). The mechanisms by which they can regulate other genes include microRNA sponging, modulation of alternative splicing, epigenetic regulation and competition for stabilizing factors, among others. Here, we summarize recent findings related to lncRNAs originating from retrocopies that are involved in human diseases such as cancer and neurodegenerative, mental or cardiovascular disorders. Special attention is given to retrocopies that regulate their progenitors or host genes. Presented evidence from the literature and our bioinformatics analyses demonstrates that these retrocopies, often described as unimportant pseudogenes, are significant players in the cell's molecular machinery.
ISSN:2073-4409
2073-4409
DOI:10.3390/cells10040912