Division of Cancer Biology, Department of Medicine, MetroHealth Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44109, USA.
Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Oct 5;23(19):11830. doi: 10.3390/ijms231911830.
Metals are common toxic environmental pollutants. Acute or chronic exposure to metal pollutants causes severe adverse health effects in animals and humans, such as developmental retardation, abnormal metabolism, and disorders of cardiovascular, neurologic, respiratory, reproductive, and urologic systems. Moreover, several metals (arsenic, cadmium, chromium, and nickel) are classified as potent Group I carcinogens and cause various types of cancer in humans. Although the toxicity and carcinogenicity of metal pollutants are well recognized, the underlying mechanisms have not been clearly defined. The epitranscriptome includes all kinds of chemical modifications of all forms of RNA molecules inside a cell. Recent progresses in demonstrating the reversible pattern of RNA modifications and their roles in physiology and pathogenesis represent a breakthrough in the field of RNA biology and function study. The epitranscriptomic study is now an exciting emerging field in toxicology research. While few studies have been conducted so far to determine the epitranscriptomic effects of metal pollutants, they offer novel insights for understanding the mechanisms of metal toxicity and carcinogenesis. The goal of this review is to discuss recent studies on the epitranscriptomic effects of metals and propose some thoughts for future studies in the field.
金属是常见的有毒环境污染物。急性或慢性暴露于金属污染物会导致动物和人类产生严重的不良健康影响，例如发育迟缓、代谢异常以及心血管、神经、呼吸、生殖和泌尿系统紊乱。此外，一些金属（砷、镉、铬和镍）被归类为强效第 1 组致癌物质，会导致人类患上各种类型的癌症。尽管金属污染物的毒性和致癌性已得到充分认识，但其中的潜在机制尚未明确界定。转录组包括细胞内所有 RNA 分子各种形式的化学修饰。目前在证明 RNA 修饰的可逆模式及其在生理和发病机制中的作用方面取得的进展，代表着 RNA 生物学和功能研究领域的突破。转录后组学研究现在是毒理学研究中一个令人兴奋的新兴领域。尽管迄今为止很少有研究确定金属污染物的转录后组学效应，但它们为理解金属毒性和致癌机制提供了新的见解。本文的目的是讨论金属的转录后组学效应的最新研究，并为该领域的未来研究提出一些思路。
