Chwalenia Katarzyna, Facemire Loryn, Li Hui
Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
Wiley Interdiscip Rev RNA. 2017 Nov;8(6). doi: 10.1002/wrna.1427. Epub 2017 Jun 7.
Traditionally, chimeric RNAs were considered to be exclusive to cancer cells. When occasionally observed in normal samples, they were usually considered to be transcriptional 'noises,' or artifacts due to template switching during the reverse transcription and/or Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) steps of experimentation. However, with the advances being made in next generation sequencing technologies and software tools, as well as the accumulation of new experimental evidences, increasing numbers of chimeric transcripts are being identified in noncancerous tissues and cells. Recent studies have also demonstrated functional relevance, for at least a subset of chimeric RNAs in normal physiology. The advances have resulted in an influx of knowledge; this knowledge indicates that chimeric RNAs are a component of basic biology, and thus challenging traditional dogma. In addition to chromosomal rearrangement, chimeric RNAs can also be formed via different molecular mechanisms including cis-splicing of adjacent genes (cis-SAGe) and trans-splicing, as well as others. Little is known about the details of these noncanonical splicing processes. However, research in this new field promises to not only advance our basic understanding of the human genome and gene regulation, but also lead to improvements in clinical practice, especially in the areas of cancer diagnostics and treatment. WIREs RNA 2017, 8:e1427. doi: 10.1002/wrna.1427 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.
传统上，嵌合RNA被认为是癌细胞所特有的。当在正常样本中偶尔观察到时，它们通常被视为转录“噪音”，或是实验逆转录和/或聚合酶链反应（PCR）步骤中模板切换导致的假象。然而，随着下一代测序技术和软件工具的进步，以及新实验证据的积累，越来越多的嵌合转录本在非癌组织和细胞中被发现。最近的研究还表明，至少一部分嵌合RNA在正常生理过程中具有功能相关性。这些进展带来了知识的大量涌入；这些知识表明嵌合RNA是基础生物学的一个组成部分，因此挑战了传统观念。除了染色体重排，嵌合RNA也可以通过不同的分子机制形成，包括相邻基因的顺式剪接（cis-SAGe）和反式剪接等。对于这些非经典剪接过程的细节知之甚少。然而，这个新领域的研究有望不仅推进我们对人类基因组和基因调控的基本理解，还能改善临床实践，尤其是在癌症诊断和治疗领域。WIREs RNA 2017, 8:e1427. doi: 10.1002/wrna.1427 有关本文的更多资源，请访问WIREs网站。
