MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short, non-coding RNAs that block the expression of a set of target genes. In the brain, miRNAs in the miR-376 cluster undergo editing. In a study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Shu Wang and colleagues at the National University of Singapore demonstrated that disruption of this editing step enhanced the invasiveness of human gliomas. They found a significant correlation between accumulation of unedited miR-376 and tumor invasion, as measured by MRI in human patients. They then implanted glioma cells in mice that had edited or unedited miR-376 and showed that the glioma cells with unedited miR-376 migrated and invaded more than glioma cells with edited miR-376. In an accompanying commentary, Gideon Rechavi of Tel Aviv University discusses the implications of these findings for the development of therapeutics that target RNA editing.
TITLE: Attenuated adenosine-to-inosine editing of microRNA-376a* promotes invasiveness of glioblastoma cells