Epigenetic Regulation of Noncoding Rna Transcription by Mammalian Rna Polymerase III

Abstract

RNA polymerase III (Pol III) synthesizes a range of medium-sized noncoding RNAs (collectively ‘Pol III genes’) whose early established biological roles were so essential that they were considered ‘housekeeping genes’. Besides these fundamental functions, diverse unconventional roles of mammalian Pol III genes have recently been recognized and their expression must be exquisitely controlled. In this review, we summarize the epigenetic regulation of Pol III genes by chromatin structure, histone modification and CpG DNA methylation. We also recapitulate the association between dysregulation of Pol III genes and diseases such as cancer and neurological disorders. Additionally, we will discuss why in-depth molecular studies of Pol III genes have not been attempted and how nc886, a Pol III gene, may resolve this issue.

Keywords::

• epigenetic regulation
• nc886
• RNA polymerase III

Acknowledgements

The authors thank BH Johnson for critical reading of this manuscript and English editing.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

This work was supported by a Research Scholar Grant, RSG-12–187–01 – RMC from the American Cancer Society to YS Lee, research grant no. 1610090 from the National Cancer Center to Y-S Lee. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by a Research Scholar Grant, RSG-12–187–01 – RMC from the American Cancer Society to YS Lee, research grant no. 1610090 from the National Cancer Center to Y-S Lee. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed. No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.