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Review
. 2021 Feb;78(4):1487-1499.
doi: 10.1007/s00018-020-03675-9. Epub 2020 Oct 15.

Vault RNAs: hidden gems in RNA and protein regulation

Jens Claus Hahne #  1   2 , Andrea Lampis #  3   4 , Nicola Valeri  3   4   5
Affiliations
Review

Vault RNAs: hidden gems in RNA and protein regulation

Jens Claus Hahne et al. Cell Mol Life Sci. 2021 Feb.

Abstract

Non-coding RNAs are important regulators of differentiation during embryogenesis as well as key players in the fine-tuning of transcription and furthermore, they control the post-transcriptional regulation of mRNAs under physiological conditions. Deregulated expression of non-coding RNAs is often identified as one major contribution in a number of pathological conditions. Non-coding RNAs are a heterogenous group of RNAs and they represent the majority of nuclear transcripts in eukaryotes. An evolutionary highly conserved sub-group of non-coding RNAs is represented by vault RNAs, named since firstly discovered as component of the largest known ribonucleoprotein complexes called "vault". Although they have been initially described 30 years ago, vault RNAs are largely unknown and their molecular role is still under investigation. In this review we will summarize the known functions of vault RNAs and their involvement in cellular mechanisms.

Keywords: Non-coding RNAs; Vault RNA; Vault ribonucleoprotein complex.

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Conflict of interest statement

N.V. received speaker honorarium from the companies Bayer, Eli-Lilly, Pfizer and Merck. The funders had no role in the design of the study, in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data, in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Vault RNAs are involved in different cellular processes and interactions. The vast majority (95%) of vault RNAs are not associated with the vault ribonucleoprotein complex; they are involved in regulation of important cellular pathways like cell death (intrinsic and extrinsic apoptosis; autophagy), proliferation, cellular differentiation, mRNA regulation and cell–cell communication. Besides this, vault RNAs influence the immune reaction and especially in cancer, they have an important role in rendering cells resistance to drug treatment
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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