Research Progress of Chimeric RNA and Health

摘要

With the development of deep sequencing and bioinformatics technology, a large number of products produced by abnormal RNA splicing, such as chimeric RNA and chimeric/fusion proteins, have been discovered. Natural chimeric/fusion genes are new genes formed by natural fusion of two or more independent genes. Chimeric RNAs can be transcribed by natural chimeric genes, and can also be formed by cis-splicing or trans-splicing of two or more precursor mRNAs. Unlike fusion genes, the production of chimeric RNAs does not involve changes in the DNA level of chromosomes. At first, chimeric RNAs were found as tumor markers. With the deepening of research, researchers also found a large number of chimeric RNAs in normal tissues. From the perspective of biological function, chimeric RNAs can play a biological role in regulating the expression of corresponding maternal genes, translating into chimeric proteins, and forming long non-coding RNAs. The objective of the present study focused on the frontiers of chimeric RNA and reviewed its role in health and tumor study to reveal research progress of chimeric RNA and health and provide a new sight of relative disease treatment. The main conclusion of this review is that chimeric RNA may serve as a biomarker for specific tumor diagnose and treatment while its role in normal physiology needs to be revealed.