Ricerc@Sapienza

RNA editing is an important post-transcriptional mechanism occurring in a wide range of organisms, which alters the primary RNA sequence through the insertion/deletion or modification of specific nucleotides, thus adding functional variation. In human, the most common type of RNA editing is mediated by the ADAR family of enzymes, and converts Adenosine (A) to Inosine (I, interpreted as Guanosine by the cellular machineries) within dsRNAs (coding and noncoding). Recently, it has been shown that the A-to-I RNA editing frequency is massively increased in human compared to mouse. Fascinatingly, in humans, most A-to-I RNA editing events (>=90%) occur in Alu containing transcripts that are preferentially localized in gene-rich regions. A-to-I RNA editing within Alu elements, ncRNAs (long ncRNA, miRNAs) and mRNAs may contribute to the human RNA landscape with essential functions in normal as well as in pathological conditions. Peripheral blood monocytes can differentiate to populations with opposite functions in modulating the immune response in infectious diseases as well in cancer.
In this project, we will explore the role played by the ADAR enzymes in the myeloid cell differentiation, with particular emphasis in some of the substrates we have identified in our previous work.