Mechanisms of Action of Natural Antisense Transcripts on the Post-Transcriptional Regulation of Sense Protein Coding Gene Expression During Development and in Cancer

  • 5,611

    Total downloads

  • 21k

    Total views and downloads

Submit your idea

You will be redirected to our submission process.

Submit your manuscript

About this Research Topic

Submission closed

Background

The Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) project reported that three-quarters of the human genome was capable of being transcribed, of which a mere 3% was translated into proteins. This indicates that contrary to central dogma, non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) represent most of the human transcriptome.

The importance of this non-coding transcriptome has become increasingly clear in recent years. Comparative genomic analysis has demonstrated a significant difference in genome utilization among species; e.g., the protein-coding genome constitutes almost the entire genome of unicellular yeast, but only 2% of the mammalian genome. Furthermore, the non-coding transcriptome is often dysregulated in cancer. These observations suggest that the transcriptome is of crucial importance in the greater complexity of higher eukaryotes, and in mechanisms of pathogenesis. Assigning function to non-coding sequence will, therefore, undoubtedly lead to important insight about basic physiology and disease progression.

NcRNAs are grouped to different subclasses; from short ncRNAs like miRNAs, to middle range ncRNAs like snRNAs, and lastly the long ncRNAs (lncRNAs). LncRNAs are diverse and regulate transcription, stability or translation of protein-coding genes in the mammalian genome. Natural antisense transcripts (NATs) constitute a group of lncRNAs that are transcribed from the opposite strand of protein-coding or non-protein-coding (sense) genes. NATs can form complex three-dimensional secondary structures with the capacity to bind to proteins as well as to nucleic acids. This dual capacity renders NATs an ideal regulator in protein-nucleic acid networks. Indeed, NATs are widely present in the human genome, and on average ~38% of genomic loci in cancer cells express sense/ antisense pairs. Although several NATs are shown to influence in post-transcriptional manners the expression of their sense protein-coding transcripts via cis-mediated regulation, the NATs are in general expressed in lower copy numbers (~10-100 fold) than their sense partners. At present, it is not clear how NATs modulate the post-transcriptional processing of their high copy sense transcripts. This question remains unresolved in the antisense-RNA field.

In this Research Topic, we aim to publish high quality studies investigating the mechanisms of action of lncRNAs on oncogenesis and cancer progression, with particular emphasis on how low copy NATs regulate post-transcriptional processing of their oncogenic or tumor suppressor sense transcripts. This Research Topic welcomes Original Research, Reviews, Mini Reviews and Perspectives with a focus on the post-transcriptional molecular aspects of lncRNAs, particularly NATs, which could provide new insights into their regulatory features during development and when cancers and other diseases are induced. The main themes encouraged, but not limited to, are:

• Mechanisms of action of low-copy number NATs on post-transcription regulation of sense gene expression in cis during development and when cancer is induced.
• Interaction of lncRNAs, NATs in particular, with trans-acting factors to regulate the target gene expression during development and when cancer is induced.
• Bioinformatic approaches with experimental validation to analyze RNA sequence data for the ncRNAs (small and long ncRNAs) expression regulation during development and when cancer is induced.
• Stoichiometric and other molecular approaches to investigate lncRNA-, NAT in particular, dependent competing endogenous RNA cross-regulation during development and when cancer is induced.

Keywords: Natural antisense transcripts, long non-coding RNA, post-transcriptional regulation, cancer, development

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

Topic editors

Frequently asked questions

  • Frontiers' Research Topics are collaborative hubs built around an emerging theme.Defined, managed, and led by renowned researchers, they bring communities together around a shared area of interest to stimulate collaboration and innovation.

    Unlike section journals, which serve established specialty communities, Research Topics are pioneer hubs, responding to the evolving scientific landscape and catering to new communities.

  • The goal of Frontiers' publishing program is to empower research communities to actively steer the course of scientific publishing. Our program was implemented as a three-part unit with fixed field journals, flexible specialty sections, and dynamically emerging Research Topics, connecting communities of different sizes and maturity.

    Research Topics originate from the scientific community. Many of our Research Topics are suggested by existing editorial board members who have identified critical challenges or areas of interest in their field.

  • As an editor, Research Topics will help you build your journal, as well as your community, around emerging, cutting-edge research. As research trailblazers, Research Topics attract high-quality submissions from leading experts all over the world.

    A thriving Research Topic can potentially evolve into a new specialty section if there is sustained interest and a growing community around it.

  • Each Research Topic must be approved by the specialty chief editor, and it falls under the editorial oversight of our editorial boards, supported by our in-house research integrity team. The same standards and rigorous peer review processes apply to articles published as part of a Research Topic as for any other article we publish.

    In 2023, 80% of the Research Topics we published were edited or co-edited by our editorial board members, who are already familiar with their journal's scope, ethos, and publishing model. All other topics are guest edited by leaders in their field, each vetted and formally approved by the specialty chief editor.

  • Publishing your article within a Research Topic with other related articles increases its discoverability and visibility, which can lead to more views, downloads, and citations. Research Topics grow dynamically as more published articles are added, causing frequent revisiting, and further visibility.

    As Research Topics are multidisciplinary, they are cross-listed in several fields and section journals – increasing your reach even more and giving you the chance to expand your network and collaborate with researchers in different fields, all focusing on expanding knowledge around the same important topic.

    Our larger Research Topics are also converted into ebooks and receive social media promotion from our digital marketing team.

     

  • Frontiers offers multiple article types, but it will depend on the field and section journals in which the Research Topic will be featured. The available article types for a Research Topic will appear in the drop-down menu during the submission process.

    Check available article types here 

  • Yes, we would love to hear your ideas for a topic. Most of our Research Topics are community-led and suggested by researchers in the field. Our in-house editorial team will contact you to talk about your idea and whether you’d like to edit the topic. If you’re an early-stage researcher, we will offer you the opportunity to coordinate your topic, with the support of a senior researcher as the topic editor. 

    Suggest your topic here 

  • A team of guest editors (called topic editors) lead their Research Topic. This editorial team oversees the entire process, from the initial topic proposal to calls for participation, the peer review, and final publications.

    The team may also include topic coordinators, who help the topic editors send calls for participation, liaise with topic editors on abstracts, and support contributing authors. In some cases, they can also be assigned as reviewers.

  • As a topic editor (TE), you will take the lead on all editorial decisions for the Research Topic, starting with defining its scope. This allows you to curate research around a topic that interests you, bring together different perspectives from leading researchers across different fields and shape the future of your field. 

     

    You will choose your team of co-editors, curate a list of potential authors, send calls for participation and oversee the peer review process, accepting or recommending rejection for each manuscript submitted.

  • As a topic editor, you're supported at every stage by our in-house team. You will be assigned a single point of contact to help you on both editorial and technical matters. Your topic is managed through our user-friendly online platform, and the peer review process is supported by our industry-first AI review assistant (AIRA).

  • If you’re an early-stage researcher, we will offer you the opportunity to coordinate your topic, with the support of a senior researcher as the topic editor. This provides you with valuable editorial experience, improving your ability to critically evaluate research articles and enhancing your understanding of the quality standards and requirements for scientific publishing, as well as the opportunity to discover new research in your field, and expand your professional network.

  • Yes, certificates can be issued on request. We are happy to provide a certificate for your contribution to editing a successful Research Topic.

  • Research Topics thrive on collaboration and their multi-disciplinary approach around emerging, cutting-edge themes, attract leading researchers from all over the world.

  • As a topic editor, you can set the timeline for your Research Topic, and we will work with you at your pace. Typically, Research Topics are online and open for submissions within a few weeks and remain open for participation for 6 – 12 months. Individual articles within a Research Topic are published as soon as they are ready.

    Find out more about our Research Topics

  • Our fee support program ensures that all articles that pass peer review, including those published in Research Topics, can benefit from open access – regardless of the author's field or funding situation.

    Authors and institutions with insufficient funding can apply for a discount on their publishing fees. A fee support application form is available on our website.

  • In line with our mission to promote healthy lives on a healthy planet, we do not provide printed materials. All our articles and ebooks are available under a CC-BY license, so you can share and print copies.

     

Impact

  • 21kTopic views
  • 15kArticle views
  • 5,611Article downloads
View impact