Pathogenic Roles of RNA-Binding Proteins in Sarcomas

Abstract

RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are proteins that physically and functionally bind to RNA to regulate the RNA metabolism such as alternative splicing, polyadenylation, transport, maintenance of stability, localization, and translation. There is accumulating evidence that dysregulated RBPs play an essential role in the pathogenesis of malignant tumors including a variety of types of sarcomas. On the other hand, prognosis of patients with sarcoma, especially with sarcoma in advanced stages, is very poor, and almost no effective standard treatment has been established for most of types of sarcomas so far, highlighting the urgent need for identifying novel therapeutic targets based on the deep understanding of pathogenesis. Therefore, defining the network of interactions between RBPs and disease-related RNA targets will contribute to a better understanding of sarcomagenesis and identification of a novel therapeutic target for sarcomas.