Department of Physiology, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, 71 S. Manassas St., Memphis, TN 38103, USA.
Int J Mol Sci. 2024 Jun 29;25(13):7202. doi: 10.3390/ijms25137202.
Small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) are earning increasing attention from research communities due to their critical role in the post-transcriptional modification of various RNAs. These snoRNAs, along with their associated proteins, are crucial in regulating the expression of a vast array of genes in different human diseases. Primarily, snoRNAs facilitate modifications such as 2'-O-methylation, N-4-acetylation, and pseudouridylation, which impact not only ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and their synthesis but also different RNAs. Functionally, snoRNAs bind with core proteins to form small nucleolar ribonucleoproteins (snoRNPs). These snoRNAs then direct the protein complex to specific sites on target RNA molecules where modifications are necessary for either standard cellular operations or the regulation of pathological mechanisms. At these targeted sites, the proteins coupled with snoRNPs perform the modification processes that are vital for controlling cellular functions. The unique characteristics of snoRNAs and their involvement in various non-metabolic and metabolic diseases highlight their potential as therapeutic targets. Moreover, the precise targeting capability of snoRNAs might be harnessed as a molecular tool to therapeutically address various disease conditions. This review delves into the role of snoRNAs in health and disease and explores the broad potential of these snoRNAs as therapeutic agents in human pathologies.
小核仁 RNA（snoRNAs）因其在各种 RNA 的转录后修饰中的关键作用，引起了研究界越来越多的关注。这些 snoRNAs 及其相关蛋白在调节不同人类疾病中大量基因的表达方面起着至关重要的作用。主要地，snoRNAs 促进 2'-O-甲基化、N-4-乙酰化和假尿嘧啶化等修饰，这些修饰不仅影响核糖体 RNA（rRNA）及其合成，还影响不同的 RNA。在功能上，snoRNAs 与核心蛋白结合形成小核仁核糖核蛋白（snoRNPs）。然后，这些 snoRNAs 引导蛋白复合物到靶 RNA 分子的特定位置，在这些位置上，修饰对于标准细胞操作或病理机制的调节是必要的。在这些靶向位置，与 snoRNPs 结合的蛋白质执行修饰过程，这些修饰过程对于控制细胞功能至关重要。snoRNAs 的独特特征及其在各种非代谢和代谢疾病中的参与，突出了它们作为治疗靶点的潜力。此外，snoRNAs 的精确靶向能力可能被用作治疗各种疾病状况的分子工具。本综述深入探讨了 snoRNAs 在健康和疾病中的作用，并探讨了这些 snoRNAs 在人类病理中的广泛治疗潜力。
