Translational Control in Cancer
- 1Goodman Cancer Research Centre and Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1A3, Canada
- 2Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Departments of Urology and of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, California 94158
- 3NYU School of Medicine, Alexandria Center for Life Science, New York, New York 10016
- Correspondence: nahum.sonenberg{at}mcgill.ca; robert.schneider{at}nyumc.org
Abstract
The translation of messenger RNAs (mRNAs) into proteins is a key event in the regulation of gene expression. This is especially true in the cancer setting, as many oncogenes and transforming events are regulated at this level. Cancer-promoting factors that are translationally regulated include cyclins, antiapoptotic factors, proangiogenic factors, regulators of cell metabolism, prometastatic factors, immune modulators, and proteins involved in DNA repair. This review discusses the diverse means by which cancer cells deregulate and reprogram translation, and the resulting oncogenic impacts, providing insights into the complexity of translational control in cancer and its targeting for cancer therapy.
