Global Switch from DICER-dependent MicroRNA to DICER-independent SnoRNA-derived RNA Biogenesis in Malignancy

Noel L Godang; Jeffrey D DeMeis; Dominika Houserova; Neil Y Chaudhary; Carly J Salter; Yaguang Xi; Oliver G McDonald; Glen M Borchert

doi:10.17912/micropub.biology.000725

Global Switch from DICER-dependent MicroRNA to DICER-independent SnoRNA-derived RNA Biogenesis in Malignancy

MicroPubl Biol. 2023 Feb 2:2023:10.17912/micropub.biology.000725. doi: 10.17912/micropub.biology.000725. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Noel L Godang¹, Jeffrey D DeMeis¹, Dominika Houserova¹, Neil Y Chaudhary¹, Carly J Salter¹, Yaguang Xi^{2

3}, Oliver G McDonald⁴, Glen M Borchert¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL USA.
² Department of Genetics, School of Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA USA.
³ Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA USA.
⁴ Department of Pathology, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami, Miami, FL USA.

Abstract

SnoRNAs are frequently processed into snoRNA-derived RNAs (sdRNAs) that function much like traditional microRNAs (miRNAs). That said, our analyses suggest a global switch from DICER-dependent (predominately miRNA) to DICER-independent (predominately sdRNA) biogenesis/gene regulation in colon cancer. Whereas the expressions of 259 of 288 appreciably expressed miRNAs are significantly decreased (avg. 6.4% of WT) in human colon cancer DICER-KOs, 95 of 103 sdRNAs are conversely, significantly increased (avg. 679.3%) in DICER-KOs as compared to WT. As many diseases are characterized by DICER deficiency, this putative global switch to DICER-independent sdRNA regulations may contribute to an array of human diseases.