ADAR

Gene Summary

Gene:ADAR; adenosine deaminase RNA specific
Aliases: DSH, AGS6, G1P1, IFI4, P136, ADAR1, DRADA, DSRAD, IFI-4, K88DSRBP
Location:1q21.3
Summary:This gene encodes the enzyme responsible for RNA editing by site-specific deamination of adenosines. This enzyme destabilizes double-stranded RNA through conversion of adenosine to inosine. Mutations in this gene have been associated with dyschromatosis symmetrica hereditaria. Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2010]
Databases:OMIM, HGNC, Ensembl, GeneCard, Gene
Protein:double-stranded RNA-specific adenosine deaminase
Source:NCBIAccessed: 01 September, 2019

Ontology:

What does this gene/protein do?
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Pathways:What pathways are this gene/protein implicaed in?
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Cancer Overview

Research Indicators

Publications Per Year (1994-2019)
Graph generated 01 September 2019 using data from PubMed using criteria.

Literature Analysis

Mouse over the terms for more detail; many indicate links which you can click for dedicated pages about the topic.

Tag cloud generated 01 September, 2019 using data from PubMed, MeSH and CancerIndex

Specific Cancers (7)

Data table showing topics related to specific cancers and associated disorders. Scope includes mutations and abnormal protein expression.

Note: list is not exhaustive. Number of papers are based on searches of PubMed (click on topic title for arbitrary criteria used).

Latest Publications: ADAR (cancer-related)

Bhate A, Sun T, Li JB
ADAR1: A New Target for Immuno-oncology Therapy.
Mol Cell. 2019; 73(5):866-868 [PubMed] Related Publications
Three recent studies by Ishizuka et al. (2019), Liu et al. (2019), and Gannon et al. (2018) show that deleting RNA editing enzyme ADAR1 could induce higher cell lethality and render tumor cells more vulnerable to immunotherapy, pinpointing ADAR1 as a new immuno-oncology target.

Silvestris DA, Picardi E, Cesarini V, et al.
Dynamic inosinome profiles reveal novel patient stratification and gender-specific differences in glioblastoma.
Genome Biol. 2019; 20(1):33 [PubMed] Free Access to Full Article Related Publications
BACKGROUND: Adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I) RNA editing is an essential post-transcriptional mechanism mediated by ADAR enzymes that have been recently associated with cancer.
RESULTS: Here, we characterize the inosinome signature in normal brain and de novo glioblastoma (GBM) using new metrics that re-stratify GBM patients according to their editing profiles and indicate this post-transcriptional event as a possible molecular mechanism for sexual dimorphism in GBM. We find that over 85% of de novo GBMs carry a deletion involving the genomic locus of ADAR3, which is specifically expressed in the brain. By analyzing RNA editing and patient outcomes, an intriguing gender-dependent link appears, with high editing of Alus shown to be beneficial only in male patients. We propose an inosinome-based molecular stratification of GBM patients that identifies two different GBM subgroups, INO-1 and INO-2, which can identify novel high-risk gender-specific patient groups for which more aggressive treatments may be necessary.
CONCLUSIONS: Our data provide a detailed picture of RNA editing landscape in normal brain and GBM, exploring A-to-I RNA editing regulation, disclosing unexpected editing implications for GBM patient stratification and identification of gender-dependent high-risk patients, and suggesting COG3 I/V as an eligible site for future personalized targeted gene therapy.

Fritzell K, Xu LD, Otrocka M, et al.
Sensitive ADAR editing reporter in cancer cells enables high-throughput screening of small molecule libraries.
Nucleic Acids Res. 2019; 47(4):e22 [PubMed] Free Access to Full Article Related Publications
Adenosine to inosine editing is common in the human transcriptome and changes of this essential activity is associated with disease. Children with ADAR1 mutations develop fatal Aicardi-Goutières syndrome characterized by aberrant interferon expression. In contrast, ADAR1 overexpression is associated with increased malignancy of breast, lung and liver cancer. ADAR1 silencing in breast cancer cells leads to increased apoptosis, suggesting an anti-apoptotic function that promotes cancer progression. Yet, suitable high-throughput editing assays are needed to efficiently screen chemical libraries for modifiers of ADAR1 activity. We describe the development of a bioluminescent reporter system that facilitates rapid and accurate determination of endogenous editing activity. The system is based on the highly sensitive and quantitative Nanoluciferase that is conditionally expressed upon reporter-transcript editing. Stably introduced into cancer cell lines, the system reports on elevated endogenous ADAR1 editing activity induced by interferon as well as knockdown of ADAR1 and ADAR2. In a single-well setup we used the reporter in HeLa cells to screen a small molecule library of 33 000 compounds. This yielded a primary hit rate of 0.9% at 70% inhibition of editing. Thus, we provide a key tool for high-throughput identification of modifiers of A-to-I editing activity in cancer cells.

Gannon HS, Zou T, Kiessling MK, et al.
Identification of ADAR1 adenosine deaminase dependency in a subset of cancer cells.
Nat Commun. 2018; 9(1):5450 [PubMed] Free Access to Full Article Related Publications
Systematic exploration of cancer cell vulnerabilities can inform the development of novel cancer therapeutics. Here, through analysis of genome-scale loss-of-function datasets, we identify adenosine deaminase acting on RNA (ADAR or ADAR1) as an essential gene for the survival of a subset of cancer cell lines. ADAR1-dependent cell lines display increased expression of interferon-stimulated genes. Activation of type I interferon signaling in the context of ADAR1 deficiency can induce cell lethality in non-ADAR1-dependent cell lines. ADAR deletion causes activation of the double-stranded RNA sensor, protein kinase R (PKR). Disruption of PKR signaling, through inactivation of PKR or overexpression of either a wildtype or catalytically inactive mutant version of the p150 isoform of ADAR1, partially rescues cell lethality after ADAR1 loss, suggesting that both catalytic and non-enzymatic functions of ADAR1 may contribute to preventing PKR-mediated cell lethality. Together, these data nominate ADAR1 as a potential therapeutic target in a subset of cancers.

Okugawa Y, Toiyama Y, Shigeyasu K, et al.
Enhanced AZIN1 RNA editing and overexpression of its regulatory enzyme ADAR1 are important prognostic biomarkers in gastric cancer.
J Transl Med. 2018; 16(1):366 [PubMed] Free Access to Full Article Related Publications
BACKGROUND: Adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I) RNA editing is catalyzed by adenosine deaminases acting on RNA (ADAR) enzymes. Recent evidence suggests that RNA editing of antizyme inhibitor 1 (AZIN1) RNA is emerging as a key epigenetic alteration underlying cancer pathogenesis.
METHODS: We evaluated AZIN1 RNA editing levels, and the expression of its regulator, ADAR1, in 280 gastric tissues from 140 patients, using a RNA editing site-specific quantitative polymerase chain reaction assays. We also analyzed the clinical significance of these results as disease biomarkers in gastric cancer (GC) patients.
RESULTS: Both AZIN1 RNA editing levels and ADAR1 expression were significantly elevated in GC tissues compared with matched normal mucosa (P < 0.0001, 0.0008, respectively); and AZIN1 RNA editing was positively correlated with ADAR1 expression. Elevated expression of ADAR1 significantly correlated with poor overall survival (P = 0.034), while hyper-edited AZIN1 emerged as an independent prognostic factor for OS and disease-free survival in GC patients [odds ratio (OR):1.98, 95% CI 1.17-3.35, P = 0.011, OR: 4.55, 95% CI 2.12-9.78, P = 0.0001, respectively]. Increased AZIN1 RNA editing and ADAR1 over-expression were significantly correlated with key clinicopathological factors, such as advanced T stage, presence of lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, and higher TNM stages in GC patients. Logistic regression analysis revealed that hyper-editing status of AZIN1 RNA was an independent risk factor for lymph node metastasis in GC patients [hazard ratio (HR):3.03, 95% CI 1.19-7.71, P = 0.02].
CONCLUSIONS: AZIN1 RNA editing levels may be an important prognostic biomarker in GC patients, and may serve as a key clinical decision-making tool for determining preoperative treatment strategies in GC patients.

Caponio VCA, Troiano G, Botti G, et al.
Overexpression of ADAR1 into the cytoplasm correlates with a better prognosis of patients with oral squamous cells carcinoma.
J Oral Pathol Med. 2019; 48(2):108-114 [PubMed] Related Publications
BACKGROUND: ADAR1 is an enzymatic protein, which catalyzes a RNA editing reaction by converting Adenosine to Inosine, and its expression has been found to be dysregulated in many cancer types. The aim of this study was to analyze the expression of ADAR1 in oral squamous cells carcinoma.
METHODS: In order to analyze the ADAR1 mRNA expression, data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database were downloaded and analyzed. In addition, immunohistochemistry analysis was performed on an institutional database including 46 samples of oral squamous cell carcinoma in a tissue microarray (TMA).
RESULTS: No statistically significant correlation linked the mRNA ADAR1 expression to any clinic-pathological variables in the TCGA database. Immunohistochemistry analysis of ADAR1 showed different expressions between normal mucosa and tumor tissue. Focusing on the subcellular localization, the nuclear expression of ADAR1 correlated with higher grading of differentiation (ρ = 0.442; P-value = 0.002); the general expression of ADAR1 either in cytoplasm or in nuclei, correlated with the Gender of patients (Cytoplasm expression: ρ = -0.295; P-value = 0.049; while for nuclear expression: ρ = +0.374; P = 0.011); cytosol expression resulted to be an independent protective prognostic factor (HR = 0.047; C.I. 95% 0.007-0.321; P-value = 0.002).
CONCLUSION: Higher expression of ADAR1 into the cytoplasm resulted to be an independent prognostic factor. In order to understand ADAR1 role in cancer, further studies should be performed, in bigger cohort and under a bio-molecular point of view.

Sagredo EA, Blanco A, Sagredo AI, et al.
ADAR1-mediated RNA-editing of 3'UTRs in breast cancer.
Biol Res. 2018; 51(1):36 [PubMed] Free Access to Full Article Related Publications
BACKGROUND: Whole transcriptome RNA variant analyses have shown that adenosine deaminases acting on RNA (ADAR) enzymes modify a large proportion of cellular RNAs, contributing to transcriptome diversity and cancer evolution. Despite the advances in the understanding of ADAR function in breast cancer, ADAR RNA editing functional consequences are not fully addressed.
RESULTS: We characterized A to G(I) mRNA editing in 81 breast cell lines, showing increased editing at 3'UTR and exonic regions in breast cancer cells compared to immortalized non-malignant cell lines. In addition, tumors from the BRCA TCGA cohort show a 24% increase in editing over normal breast samples when looking at 571 well-characterized UTRs targeted by ADAR1. Basal-like subtype breast cancer patients with high level of ADAR1 mRNA expression shows a worse clinical outcome and increased editing in their 3'UTRs. Interestingly, editing was particularly increased in the 3'UTRs of ATM, GINS4 and POLH transcripts in tumors, which correlated with their mRNA expression. We confirmed the role of ADAR1 in this regulation using a shRNA in a breast cancer cell line (ZR-75-1).
CONCLUSIONS: Altogether, these results revealed a significant association between the mRNA editing in genes related to cancer-relevant pathways and clinical outcomes, suggesting an important role of ADAR1 expression and function in breast cancer.

Teoh PJ, An O, Chung TH, et al.
Aberrant hyperediting of the myeloma transcriptome by ADAR1 confers oncogenicity and is a marker of poor prognosis.
Blood. 2018; 132(12):1304-1317 [PubMed] Related Publications
DNA alterations have been extensively reported in multiple myeloma (MM); however, they cannot yet fully explain all the biological and molecular abnormalities in MM, which remains to this day an incurable disease with eventual emergence of refractory disease. Recent years have seen abnormalities at the RNA levels being reported to possess potential biological relevance in cancers. ADAR1-mediated A-to-I editing is an important posttranscriptional mechanism in human physiology, and the biological implication of its abnormality, especially at the global level, is underexplored in MM. In this study, we define the biological implications of A-to-I editing and how it contributes to MM pathogenesis. Here, we identified that the MM transcriptome is aberrantly hyperedited because of the overexpression of ADAR1. These events were associated with patients' survival independent of 1q21 amplifications and could affect patients' responsiveness to different treatment regimes. Our functional assays established ADAR1 to be oncogenic, driving cellular growth and proliferation in an editing-dependent manner. In addition, we identified NEIL1 (base-excision repair gene) as an essential and a ubiquitously edited ADAR1 target in MM. The recoded NEIL1 protein showed defective oxidative damage repair capacity and loss-of-function properties. Collectively, our data demonstrated that ADAR1-mediated A-to-I editing is both clinically and biologically relevant in MM. These data unraveled novel insights into MM molecular pathogenesis at the global RNA level.

Nemlich Y, Baruch EN, Besser MJ, et al.
ADAR1-mediated regulation of melanoma invasion.
Nat Commun. 2018; 9(1):2154 [PubMed] Free Access to Full Article Related Publications
Melanoma cells use different migratory strategies to exit the primary tumor mass and invade surrounding and subsequently distant tissues. We reported previously that ADAR1 expression is downregulated in metastatic melanoma, thereby facilitating proliferation. Here we show that ADAR1 silencing enhances melanoma cell invasiveness and ITGB3 expression. The enhanced invasion is reversed when ITGB3 is blocked with antibodies. Re-expression of wild-type or catalytically inactive ADAR1 establishes this mechanism as independent of RNA editing. We demonstrate that ADAR1 controls ITGB3 expression both at the post-transcriptional and transcriptional levels, via miR-22 and PAX6 transcription factor, respectively. These are proven here as direct regulators of ITGB3 expression. miR-22 expression is controlled by ADAR1 via FOXD1 transcription factor. Clinical relevance is demonstrated in patient-paired progression tissue microarray using immunohistochemistry. The novel ADAR1-dependent and RNA-editing-independent regulation of invasion, mediated by ITGB3, strongly points to a central involvement of ADAR1 in cancer progression and metastasis.

Chen YT, Chang IY, Liu H, et al.
Tumor-associated intronic editing of
J Biol Chem. 2018; 293(26):10158-10171 [PubMed] Free Access to Full Article Related Publications
Processing of the eukaryotic transcriptome is a dynamic regulatory mechanism that confers genetic diversity, and splicing and adenosine to inosine (A-to-I) RNA editing are well-characterized examples of such processing. Growing evidence reveals the cross-talk between the splicing and RNA editing, but there is a paucity of substantial evidence for its mechanistic details and contribution in a physiological context. Here, our findings demonstrate that tumor-associated differential RNA editing, in conjunction with splicing machinery, regulates the expression of variants of

Peng X, Xu X, Wang Y, et al.
A-to-I RNA Editing Contributes to Proteomic Diversity in Cancer.
Cancer Cell. 2018; 33(5):817-828.e7 [PubMed] Free Access to Full Article Related Publications
Adenosine (A) to inosine (I) RNA editing introduces many nucleotide changes in cancer transcriptomes. However, due to the complexity of post-transcriptional regulation, the contribution of RNA editing to proteomic diversity in human cancers remains unclear. Here, we performed an integrated analysis of TCGA genomic data and CPTAC proteomic data. Despite limited site diversity, we demonstrate that A-to-I RNA editing contributes to proteomic diversity in breast cancer through changes in amino acid sequences. We validate the presence of editing events at both RNA and protein levels. The edited COPA protein increases proliferation, migration, and invasion of cancer cells in vitro. Our study suggests an important contribution of A-to-I RNA editing to protein diversity in cancer and highlights its translational potential.

Cho CJ, Jung J, Jiang L, et al.
Combinatory RNA-Sequencing Analyses Reveal a Dual Mode of Gene Regulation by ADAR1 in Gastric Cancer.
Dig Dis Sci. 2018; 63(7):1835-1850 [PubMed] Related Publications
BACKGROUND: Adenosine deaminase acting on RNA 1 (ADAR1) is known to mediate deamination of adenosine-to-inosine through binding to double-stranded RNA, the phenomenon known as RNA editing. Currently, the function of ADAR1 in gastric cancer is unclear.
AIMS: This study was aimed at investigating RNA editing-dependent and editing-independent functions of ADAR1 in gastric cancer, especially focusing on its influence on editing of 3' untranslated regions (UTRs) and subsequent changes in expression of messenger RNAs (mRNAs) as well as microRNAs (miRNAs).
METHODS: RNA-sequencing and small RNA-sequencing were performed on AGS and MKN-45 cells with a stable ADAR1 knockdown. Changed frequencies of editing and mRNA and miRNA expression were then identified by bioinformatic analyses. Targets of RNA editing were further validated in patients' samples.
RESULTS: In the Alu region of both gastric cell lines, editing was most commonly of the A-to-I type in 3'-UTR or intron. mRNA and protein levels of PHACTR4 increased in ADAR1 knockdown cells, because of the loss of seed sequences in 3'-UTR of PHACTR4 mRNA that are required for miRNA-196a-3p binding. Immunohistochemical analyses of tumor and paired normal samples from 16 gastric cancer patients showed that ADAR1 expression was higher in tumors than in normal tissues and inversely correlated with PHACTR4 staining. On the other hand, decreased miRNA-148a-3p expression in ADAR1 knockdown cells led to increased mRNA and protein expression of NFYA, demonstrating ADAR1's editing-independent function.
CONCLUSIONS: ADAR1 regulates post-transcriptional gene expression in gastric cancer through both RNA editing-dependent and editing-independent mechanisms.

Vongsutilers V, Gannett PM
C8-Guanine modifications: effect on Z-DNA formation and its role in cancer.
Org Biomol Chem. 2018; 16(13):2198-2209 [PubMed] Related Publications
Base modifications are known to affect the structure and function of DNA. C8-guanine adducts from various carcinogenic compounds have been shown to be potent Z-DNA inducers. Hence, it has been hypothesized that Z-DNA plays a role in cancer and other genetic diseases. In this comprehensive review, Z-DNA and the effect of prevalent C8-guanine adducts on the B-Z transition are addressed. The discoveries of Z-DNA binding proteins including ADAR1, E3L, DLM1, and PKZ have suggested the relevance of Z-DNA in living systems. In addition, increasing evidence on the Z-DNA connection to gene transcription and inhibition reveals potential biological functions of the left-handed DNA. Finally, C8-guanine adducts that promote Z-DNA formation can be used as a tool to explore the Z-DNA function and its role in carcinogenesis.

Mingardi J, Musazzi L, De Petro G, Barbon A
miRNA Editing: New Insights into the Fast Control of Gene Expression in Health and Disease.
Mol Neurobiol. 2018; 55(10):7717-7727 [PubMed] Related Publications
Post-transcriptional modifications are essential mechanisms for mRNA biogenesis and function in eukaryotic cells. Beyond well-characterized events such as splicing, capping, and polyadenylation, there are several others, as RNA editing mechanisms and regulation of transcription mediated by miRNAs that are taking increasing attention in the last years. RNA editing through A-to-I deamination increases transcriptomic complexity, generating different proteins with amino acid substitution from the same transcript. On the other hand, miRNAs can regulate gene expression modulating target mRNA decay and translation. Interestingly, recent studies highlight the possibility that miRNAs might undergo editing themselves. This mainly translates in the degradation or uncorrected maturation of miRNAs but also in the recognition of different targets. The presence of edited and unedited forms of the same miRNA may have important biological implications in both health and disease. Here we review ongoing investigations on miRNA RNA editing with the aim to shed light on the growing importance of this mechanism in adding complexity to post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression.

Velazquez-Torres G, Shoshan E, Ivan C, et al.
A-to-I miR-378a-3p editing can prevent melanoma progression via regulation of PARVA expression.
Nat Commun. 2018; 9(1):461 [PubMed] Free Access to Full Article Related Publications
Previously we have reported that metastatic melanoma cell lines and tumor specimens have reduced expression of ADAR1 and consequently are impaired in their ability to perform A-to-I microRNA (miRNA) editing. The effects of A-to-I miRNAs editing on melanoma growth and metastasis are yet to be determined. Here we report that miR-378a-3p is undergoing A-to-I editing only in the non-metastatic but not in metastatic melanoma cells. The function of the edited form is different from its wild-type counterpart. The edited form of miR-378a-3p preferentially binds to the 3'-UTR of the PARVA oncogene and inhibits its expression, thus preventing the progression of melanoma towards the malignant phenotype. Indeed, edited miR-378a-3p but not its WT form inhibits melanoma metastasis in vivo. These results further emphasize the role of RNA editing in melanoma progression.

Sharpnack MF, Chen B, Aran D, et al.
Global Transcriptome Analysis of RNA Abundance Regulation by ADAR in Lung Adenocarcinoma.
EBioMedicine. 2018; 27:167-175 [PubMed] Free Access to Full Article Related Publications
Despite tremendous advances in targeted therapies against lung adenocarcinoma, the majority of patients do not benefit from personalized treatments. A deeper understanding of potential therapeutic targets is crucial to increase the survival of patients. One promising target, ADAR, is amplified in 13% of lung adenocarcinomas and in-vitro studies have demonstrated the potential of its therapeutic inhibition to inhibit tumor growth. ADAR edits millions of adenosines to inosines within the transcriptome, and while previous studies of ADAR in cancer have solely focused on protein-coding edits, >99% of edits occur in non-protein coding regions. Here, we develop a pipeline to discover the regulatory potential of RNA editing sites across the entire transcriptome and apply it to lung adenocarcinoma tumors from The Cancer Genome Atlas. This method predicts that 1413 genes contain regulatory edits, predominantly in non-coding regions. Genes with the largest numbers of regulatory edits are enriched in both apoptotic and innate immune pathways, providing a link between these known functions of ADAR and its role in cancer. We further show that despite a positive association between ADAR RNA expression and apoptotic and immune pathways, ADAR copy number is negatively associated with apoptosis and several immune cell types' signatures.

Lazzari E, Mondala PK, Santos ND, et al.
Alu-dependent RNA editing of GLI1 promotes malignant regeneration in multiple myeloma.
Nat Commun. 2017; 8(1):1922 [PubMed] Free Access to Full Article Related Publications
Despite novel therapies, relapse of multiple myeloma (MM) is virtually inevitable. Amplification of chromosome 1q, which harbors the inflammation-responsive RNA editase adenosine deaminase acting on RNA (ADAR)1 gene, occurs in 30-50% of MM patients and portends a poor prognosis. Since adenosine-to-inosine RNA editing has recently emerged as a driver of cancer progression, genomic amplification combined with inflammatory cytokine activation of ADAR1 could stimulate MM progression and therapeutic resistance. Here, we report that high ADAR1 RNA expression correlates with reduced patient survival rates in the MMRF CoMMpass data set. Expression of wild-type, but not mutant, ADAR1 enhances Alu-dependent editing and transcriptional activity of GLI1, a Hedgehog (Hh) pathway transcriptional activator and self-renewal agonist, and promotes immunomodulatory drug resistance in vitro. Finally, ADAR1 knockdown reduces regeneration of high-risk MM in serially transplantable patient-derived xenografts. These data demonstrate that ADAR1 promotes malignant regeneration of MM and if selectively inhibited may obviate progression and relapse.

Fritzell K, Xu LD, Lagergren J, Öhman M
ADARs and editing: The role of A-to-I RNA modification in cancer progression.
Semin Cell Dev Biol. 2018; 79:123-130 [PubMed] Related Publications
Cancer arises when pathways that control cell functions such as proliferation and migration are dysregulated to such an extent that cells start to divide uncontrollably and eventually spread throughout the body, ultimately endangering the survival of an affected individual. It is well established that somatic mutations are important in cancer initiation and progression as well as in creation of tumor diversity. Now also modifications of the transcriptome are emerging as a significant force during the transition from normal cell to malignant tumor. Editing of adenosine (A) to inosine (I) in double-stranded RNA, catalyzed by adenosine deaminases acting on RNA (ADARs), is one dynamic modification that in a combinatorial manner can give rise to a very diverse transcriptome. Since the cell interprets inosine as guanosine (G), editing can result in non-synonymous codon changes in transcripts as well as yield alternative splicing, but also affect targeting and disrupt maturation of microRNA. ADAR editing is essential for survival in mammals but its dysregulation can lead to cancer. ADAR1 is for instance overexpressed in, e.g., lung cancer, liver cancer, esophageal cancer and chronic myoelogenous leukemia, which with few exceptions promotes cancer progression. In contrast, ADAR2 is lowly expressed in e.g. glioblastoma, where the lower levels of ADAR2 editing leads to malignant phenotypes. Altogether, RNA editing by the ADAR enzymes is a powerful regulatory mechanism during tumorigenesis. Depending on the cell type, cancer progression seems to mainly be induced by ADAR1 upregulation or ADAR2 downregulation, although in a few cases ADAR1 is instead downregulated. In this review, we discuss how aberrant editing of specific substrates contributes to malignancy.

Ganem NS, Ben-Asher N, Lamm AT
In cancer, A-to-I RNA editing can be the driver, the passenger, or the mechanic.
Drug Resist Updat. 2017; 32:16-22 [PubMed] Related Publications
In recent years, A-to-I RNA modifications performed by the Adenosine Deaminase Acting on RNA (ADAR) protein family were found to be expressed at altered levels in multiple human malignancies. A-to-I RNA editing changes adenosine to inosine on double stranded RNA, thereby changing transcript sequence and structure. Although A-to-I RNA editing have the potential to change essential mRNA transcripts, affecting their corresponding protein structures, most of the human editing sites identified to date reside in non-coding repetitive transcripts such as Alu elements. Therefore, the impact of the hypo- or hyper-editing found in specific cancers remains unknown. Moreover, it is yet unclear whether or not changes in RNA editing and ADAR expression levels facilitate or even drive cancer progression or are just a byproduct of other affected pathways. In both cases, however, the levels of RNA editing and ADAR enzymes can possibly be used as specific biomarkers, as their levels change differently in specific malignancies. More significantly, recent studies suggest that ADAR enzymes can be used to reverse the oncogenic process, suggesting a potential for gene therapies. This review focuses on new findings that suggest that RNA editing by ADARs can affect cancer progression and even formation. We also discuss new possibilities of using ADAR enzymes and RNA editing as cancer biomarkers, indicators of chemotherapeutic drug sensitivity, and even to be themselves potential therapeutic tools.

Beyer U, Brand F, Martens H, et al.
Rare ADAR and RNASEH2B variants and a type I interferon signature in glioma and prostate carcinoma risk and tumorigenesis.
Acta Neuropathol. 2017; 134(6):905-922 [PubMed] Related Publications
In search of novel germline alterations predisposing to tumors, in particular to gliomas, we studied a family with two brothers affected by anaplastic gliomas, and their father and paternal great-uncle diagnosed with prostate carcinoma. In this family, whole-exome sequencing yielded rare, simultaneously heterozygous variants in the Aicardi-Goutières syndrome (AGS) genes ADAR and RNASEH2B co-segregating with the tumor phenotype. AGS is a genetically induced inflammatory disease particularly of the brain, which has not been associated with a consistently increased cancer risk to date. By targeted sequencing, we identified novel ADAR and RNASEH2B variants, and a 3- to 17-fold frequency increase of the AGS mutations ADAR,c.577C>G;p.(P193A) and RNASEH2B,c.529G>A;p.(A177T) in the germline of familial glioma patients as well as in test and validation cohorts of glioblastomas and prostate carcinomas versus ethnicity-matched controls, whereby rare RNASEH2B variants were significantly more frequent in familial glioma patients. Tumors with ADAR or RNASEH2B variants recapitulated features of AGS, such as calcification and increased type I interferon expression. Patients carrying ADAR or RNASEH2B variants showed upregulation of interferon-stimulated gene (ISG) transcripts in peripheral blood as seen in AGS. An increased ISG expression was also induced by ADAR and RNASEH2B variants in tumor cells and was blocked by the JAK inhibitor Ruxolitinib. Our data implicate rare variants in the AGS genes ADAR and RNASEH2B and a type I interferon signature in glioma and prostate carcinoma risk and tumorigenesis, consistent with a genetic basis underlying inflammation-driven malignant transformation in glioma and prostate carcinoma development.

Song IH, Kim YA, Heo SH, et al.
ADAR1 expression is associated with tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes in triple-negative breast cancer.
Tumour Biol. 2017; 39(10):1010428317734816 [PubMed] Related Publications
Tumours with a high mutation burden exhibit considerable neoantigens and tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes. RNA editing by ADAR1 is a source of changes in epitope. However, ADAR1 expression in cancer cells and tumour-infiltrating lymphocyte levels in triple-negative breast cancer have not been well evaluated. We immunohistochemically examined ADAR1 expression in 681 triple-negative breast cancer patients and analysed their clinicopathological characteristics. We also analysed basal-like tumours using The Cancer Genome Atlas data. Among the 681 triple-negative breast cancer patients, 45.8% demonstrated high ADAR1 expression. Tumours with high ADAR1 expression exhibited high tumour-infiltrating lymphocyte levels, considerable CD8 + T lymphocyte infiltration, high histological grade and high expression of interferon-related proteins, including HLA-ABC, MxA and PKR. Among patients with lymph node metastasis, those with high tumour-infiltrating lymphocyte levels and low ADAR1 expression demonstrated the best disease-free survival. The Cancer Genome Atlas data analysis of basal-like tumours revealed significant positive correlation between ADAR1 and CD8B expression and positive association of high ADAR1 expression with immune responses and apoptosis pathways. We detected high ADAR1 expression in half of the triple-negative breast cancer patients. In addition to DNA mutations, RNA editing can be related to neoantigens; hence, we need to explore non-synonymous mutations exclusively found using RNA sequencing data to identify clinically relevant neoantigens.

Qi L, Song Y, Chan THM, et al.
An RNA editing/dsRNA binding-independent gene regulatory mechanism of ADARs and its clinical implication in cancer.
Nucleic Acids Res. 2017; 45(18):10436-10451 [PubMed] Free Access to Full Article Related Publications
Adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I) RNA editing, catalyzed by Adenosine DeAminases acting on double-stranded RNA(dsRNA) (ADAR), occurs predominantly in the 3' untranslated regions (3'UTRs) of spliced mRNA. Here we uncover an unanticipated link between ADARs (ADAR1 and ADAR2) and the expression of target genes undergoing extensive 3'UTR editing. Using METTL7A (Methyltransferase Like 7A), a novel tumor suppressor gene with multiple editing sites at its 3'UTR, we demonstrate that its expression could be repressed by ADARs beyond their RNA editing and double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) binding functions. ADARs interact with Dicer to augment the processing of pre-miR-27a to mature miR-27a. Consequently, mature miR-27a targets the METTL7A 3'UTR to repress its expression level. In sum, our study unveils that the extensive 3'UTR editing of METTL7A is merely a footprint of ADAR binding, and there are a subset of target genes that are equivalently regulated by ADAR1 and ADAR2 through their non-canonical RNA editing and dsRNA binding-independent functions, albeit maybe less common. The functional significance of ADARs is much more diverse than previously appreciated and this gene regulatory function of ADARs is most likely to be of high biological importance beyond the best-studied editing function. This non-editing side of ADARs opens another door to target cancer.

Amin EM, Liu Y, Deng S, et al.
The RNA-editing enzyme ADAR promotes lung adenocarcinoma migration and invasion by stabilizing
Sci Signal. 2017; 10(497) [PubMed] Free Access to Full Article Related Publications
Large-scale, genome-wide studies report that RNA binding proteins are altered in cancers, but it is unclear how these proteins control tumor progression. We found that the RNA-editing protein ADAR (adenosine deaminase acting on double-stranded RNA) acted as a facilitator of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) progression through its ability to stabilize transcripts encoding focal adhesion kinase (FAK). In samples from 802 stage I LUAD patients, increased abundance of ADAR at both the mRNA and protein level correlated with tumor recurrence. Knocking down ADAR in LUAD cells suppressed their mesenchymal properties, migration, and invasion in culture. Analysis of gene expression patterns in LUAD cells identified ADAR-associated enrichment of a subset of genes involved in cell migration pathways; among these,

Zhang J, Chen Z, Tang Z, et al.
RNA editing is induced by type I interferon in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
Tumour Biol. 2017; 39(7):1010428317708546 [PubMed] Related Publications
In recent years, abnormal RNA editing has been shown to play an important role in the development of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, as such abnormal editing is catalyzed by ADAR (adenosine deaminases acting on RNA). However, the regulatory mechanism of ADAR1 in esophageal squamous cell carcinomas remains largely unknown. In this study, we investigated ADAR1 expression and its association with RNA editing in esophageal squamous cell carcinomas. RNA sequencing applied to esophageal squamous cell carcinoma clinical samples showed that ADAR1 expression was correlated with the expression of STAT1, STAT2, and IRF9. In vitro experiments showed that the abundance of ADAR1 protein was associated with the induced activation of the JAK/STAT pathway by type I interferon. RNA sequencing results showed that treatment with type I interferon caused an increase in the number and degree of RNA editing in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cell lines. In conclusion, the activation of the JAK/STAT pathway is a regulatory mechanism of ADAR1 expression and causes abnormal RNA editing profile in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. This mechanism may serve as a new target for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma therapy.

Binothman N, Hachim IY, Lebrun JJ, Ali S
CPSF6 is a Clinically Relevant Breast Cancer Vulnerability Target: Role of CPSF6 in Breast Cancer.
EBioMedicine. 2017; 21:65-78 [PubMed] Free Access to Full Article Related Publications
Breast cancer represents a major health challenge. The majority of breast cancer deaths are due to cancer progression/recurrence for which no efficient therapies exist. Aggressive breast cancers are characterized by loss of cellular differentiation. Defining molecular mechanisms/targets contributing to cancer aggressiveness is needed to guide the design of new screening and targeted treatments. Here, we describe a novel tumor promoting function for the Cleavage and Polyadenylation Factor-6 (CPSF6). Importantly, aggressive breast cancer cells of luminal B, HER2-overexpressing and triple negative subtypes show dependency on CPSF6 for viability and tumorigenic capacity. Mechanistically, we found CPSF6 to interact with components of the A-to-I RNA editing machinery, paraspeckles and ADAR1 enzyme, and to be required for their physical integrity. Clinically, we found CPSF6 and all core paraspeckles proteins to be overexpressed in human breast cancer cases and their expression to correlate with poor patient outcomes. Finally, we found prolactin, a key mammary differentiation factor, to suppress CPSF6/RNA editing activity. Together, this study revealed CPSF6 as a molecular target with clinical relevance for prognosis and therapy in breast cancer.

Rossetti C, Picardi E, Ye M, et al.
RNA editing signature during myeloid leukemia cell differentiation.
Leukemia. 2017; 31(12):2824-2832 [PubMed] Free Access to Full Article Related Publications
Adenosine deaminases acting on RNA (ADARs) are key proteins for hematopoietic stem cell self-renewal and for survival of differentiating progenitor cells. However, their specific role in myeloid cell maturation has been poorly investigated. Here we show that ADAR1 is present at basal level in the primary myeloid leukemia cells obtained from patients at diagnosis as well as in myeloid U-937 and THP1 cell lines and its expression correlates with the editing levels. Upon phorbol-myristate acetate or Vitamin D3/granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF)-driven differentiation, both ADAR1 and ADAR2 enzymes are upregulated, with a concomitant global increase of A-to-I RNA editing. ADAR1 silencing caused an editing decrease at specific ADAR1 target genes, without, however, interfering with cell differentiation or with ADAR2 activity. Remarkably, ADAR2 is absent in the undifferentiated cell stage, due to its elimination through the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway, being strongly upregulated at the end of the differentiation process. Of note, peripheral blood monocytes display editing events at the selected targets similar to those found in differentiated cell lines. Taken together, the data indicate that ADAR enzymes play important and distinct roles in myeloid cells.

Chen W, He W, Cai H, et al.
A-to-I RNA editing of BLCAP lost the inhibition to STAT3 activation in cervical cancer.
Oncotarget. 2017; 8(24):39417-39429 [PubMed] Free Access to Full Article Related Publications
Bladder cancer-associated protein (BLCAP) gene is a highly conserved gene with tumor-suppressor function in different carcinomas. It is also a novel ADAR-mediated editing substrate undergoes multiple A-to-I RNA editing events. Although the anti-tumorigenic role of BLCAP has been examined in preliminarily studies, the relationship between BLCAP function and A-to-I RNA editing in cervical carcinogenesis still require further exploration. Herein, we analyzed the coding sequence of BLCAP transcripts in 35 paired cervical cancer samples using high-throughput sequencing. Of note, editing levels of three novel editing sites were statistically different between cancerous and adjacent cervical tissues, and editing of these three sites was closely correlated. Moreover, two editing sites of BLCAP coding region were mapped-in the key YXXQ motif which can bind to SH2 domain of STAT3. Further studies revealed that BLCAP interacted with signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and inhibited its phosphorylation, while A-to-I RNA editing of BLCAP lost the inhibition to STAT3 activation in cervical cancer cell lines. Our findings reveal that A-to-I RNA editing events alter the genetically coded amino acid in BLCAP YXXQ motif, which drive the progression of cervical carcinogenesis through regulating STAT3 signaling pathway.

Cho CJ, Myung SJ, Chang S
ADAR1 and MicroRNA; A Hidden Crosstalk in Cancer.
Int J Mol Sci. 2017; 18(4) [PubMed] Free Access to Full Article Related Publications
The evolution of cancer cells is believed to be dependent on genetic or epigenetic alterations. However, this concept has recently been challenged by another mode of nucleotide alteration, RNA editing, which is frequently up-regulated in cancer. RNA editing is a biochemical process in which either Adenosine or Cytosine is deaminated by a group of RNA editing enzymes including ADAR (Adenosine deaminase; RNA specific) or APOBEC3B (Apolipoprotein B mRNA Editing Enzyme Catalytic Subunit 3B). The result of RNA editing is usually adenosine to inosine (A-to-I) or cytidine to uridine (C-to-U) transition, which can affect protein coding, RNA stability, splicing and microRNA-target interactions. The functional impact of these alterations is largely unclear and is a subject of extensive research. In the present review, we will specifically focus on the influence of ADARs on carcinogenesis via the regulation of microRNA processing and functioning. This follows a brief review of the current knowledge of properties of ADAR enzyme, RNA editing, and microRNA processing.

Lieberman S, Walsh T, Schechter M, et al.
Features of Patients With Hereditary Mixed Polyposis Syndrome Caused by Duplication of GREM1 and Implications for Screening and Surveillance.
Gastroenterology. 2017; 152(8):1876-1880.e1 [PubMed] Related Publications
Hereditary mixed polyposis syndrome is a rare colon cancer predisposition syndrome caused by a duplication of a noncoding sequence near the gremlin 1, DAN family BMP antagonist gene (GREM1) originally described in Ashkenazi Jews. Few families with GREM1 duplications have been described, so there are many questions about detection and management. We report 4 extended families with the duplication near GREM1 previously found in Ashkenazi Jews; 3 families were identified at cancer genetic clinics in Israel and 1 family was identified in a cohort of patients with familial colorectal cancer. Their clinical features include extracolonic tumors, onset of polyps in adolescence, and rapid progression of some polyps to advanced adenomas. One family met diagnostic criteria for Lynch syndrome. Expansion of the hereditary mixed polyposis syndrome phenotype can inform surveillance strategies for carriers of GREM1 duplications.

Nakano M, Fukami T, Gotoh S, Nakajima M
A-to-I RNA Editing Up-regulates Human Dihydrofolate Reductase in Breast Cancer.
J Biol Chem. 2017; 292(12):4873-4884 [PubMed] Free Access to Full Article Related Publications
Dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) plays a key role in folate metabolism and is a target molecule of methotrexate. An increase in the cellular expression level of DHFR is one of the mechanisms of tumor resistance to methotrexate. The present study investigated the possibility that adenosine-to-inosine RNA editing, which causes nucleotide conversion by adenosine deaminase acting on RNA (ADAR) enzymes, might modulate DHFR expression. In human breast adenocarcinoma-derived MCF-7 cells, 26 RNA editing sites were identified in the 3'-UTR of DHFR. Knockdown of ADAR1 decreased the RNA editing levels of DHFR and resulted in a decrease in the DHFR mRNA and protein levels, indicating that ADAR1 up-regulates DHFR expression. Using a computational analysis, miR-25-3p and miR-125a-3p were predicted to bind to the non-edited 3'-UTR of DHFR but not to the edited sequence. The decrease in DHFR expression by the knockdown of ADAR1 was restored by transfection of antisense oligonucleotides for these miRNAs, suggesting that RNA editing mediated up-regulation of DHFR requires the function of these miRNAs. Interestingly, we observed that the knockdown of ADAR1 decreased cell viability and increased the sensitivity of MCF-7 cells to methotrexate. ADAR1 expression levels and the RNA editing levels in the 3'-UTR of DHFR in breast cancer tissues were higher than those in adjacent normal tissues. Collectively, the present study demonstrated that ADAR1 positively regulates the expression of DHFR by editing the miR-25-3p and miR-125a-3p binding sites in the 3'-UTR of DHFR, enhancing cellular proliferation and resistance to methotrexate.

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