RNA-modifying enzyme loops mRNA to increase oncogene translation

Boston Children's Hospital researchers showed interaction between a translation factor and RNA-modifying enzyme could enhance oncogene translation by circularizing mRNA, suggesting that disrupting the protein-protein interaction could help treat cancer.

At least two companies -- Storm Therapeutics Ltd. (Cambridge, U.K.) and Accent Therapeutics Inc. (Lexington, Mass) -- have entered the budding field of RNA epigenetics by developing small molecules to target RNA-modifying enzymes for cancer. A 2017 Nature study from the University of Cambridge and Storm linked methyltransferase like 3 (METTL3) to increased oncogene expression in acute myelogenous leukemia (see "Taking RNA Epigenetics by Storm")...