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Review
. 2021 Apr 24;10(5):366.
doi: 10.3390/biology10050366.

RNA-Binding Proteins Hold Key Roles in Function, Dysfunction, and Disease

Sophia Kelaini  1 , Celine Chan  1 , Victoria A Cornelius  1 , Andriana Margariti  1
Affiliations
Review

RNA-Binding Proteins Hold Key Roles in Function, Dysfunction, and Disease

Sophia Kelaini et al. Biology (Basel). .

Abstract

RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are multi-faceted proteins in the regulation of RNA or its RNA splicing, localisation, stability, and translation. Amassing proof from many recent and dedicated studies reinforces the perception of RBPs exerting control through differing expression levels, cellular localization and post-transcriptional alterations. However, since the regulation of RBPs is reliant on the micro-environment and events like stress response and metabolism, their binding affinities and the resulting RNA-RBP networks may be affected. Therefore, any misregulation and disruption in the features of RNA and its related homeostasis can lead to a number of diseases that include diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other disorders such as cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. As such, correct regulation of RNA and RBPs is crucial to good health as the effect RBPs exert through loss of function can cause pathogenesis. In this review, we will discuss the significance of RBPs and their typical function and how this can be disrupted in disease.

Keywords: RNA binding protein; disease; splicing factor; stress granules; translation regulator.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic diagram summarizing the various roles of RNA binding proteins (RBPs). RBPs have numerous roles in RNA processing and translation. Four such functions of RBPs are demonstrated diagrammatically above: alternative splicing, RNA export, protein translation, RNA degradation, and stabilization. Figure created using Biorender.com.
Figure 2
Figure 2
(A) Schematic diagram displaying RBP targeting strategies that may involve RNA-protein or protein-protein interactions, protein aggregation and cell pathways. (B) Current RBP-based targeting therapeutic strategies focus on either the manipulation of a specific RBP or an RBP-RNA interaction and so can be categorised as either direct or indirect approaches, respectively. Direct therapeutic strategies revolve around the knockdown or overexpression of a particular RBP. Indirect approaches, on the other hand, including the use of circular RNA, siRNA, synthetic peptides, oligonucleotide based, aptamers, small molecules, and CRISPR, can be designed to either inhibit the interaction of an RBP with RNA by inducing degradation, to suppress enzymatic activity, to block post transcriptional modifications or through binding to outcompete a chosen RBP. Figure created using Biorender.com.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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