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Review
. 2021 Sep 23;12(10):1471.
doi: 10.3390/genes12101471.

DEAD-Box RNA Helicases and Genome Stability

Michael Cargill  1 , Rasika Venkataraman  1   2 , Stanley Lee  1   2
Affiliations
Review

DEAD-Box RNA Helicases and Genome Stability

Michael Cargill et al. Genes (Basel). .

Abstract

DEAD-box RNA helicases are important regulators of RNA metabolism and have been implicated in the development of cancer. Interestingly, these helicases constitute a major recurring family of RNA-binding proteins important for protecting the genome. Current studies have provided insight into the connection between genomic stability and several DEAD-box RNA helicase family proteins including DDX1, DDX3X, DDX5, DDX19, DDX21, DDX39B, and DDX41. For each helicase, we have reviewed evidence supporting their role in protecting the genome and their suggested mechanisms. Such helicases regulate the expression of factors promoting genomic stability, prevent DNA damage, and can participate directly in the response and repair of DNA damage. Finally, we summarized the pathological and therapeutic relationship between DEAD-box RNA helicases and cancer with respect to their novel role in genome stability.

Keywords: DEAD-box RNA helicases; cancer; genome stability.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Human DEAD-box helicase family. (A) Protein domain schematic for each DDX helicase was generated with the PROSITE image creator tool MyDomains [10]. (B) The phylogeny tree for human DEAD-box helicase proteins was generated with Phylogeny.fr. Helicases described in this review with a role in promoting genome integrity are highlighted in red.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Summary of the themes regarding DDX RNA helicase involvement in genome stability. All DDX helicases mentioned are listed. (A) DDX RNA helicases promote the expression of genes important for genome stability (represented in the dotted lines) in addition to regulating their expression via microRNAs. (B) DDX RNA helicases are directly involved with the DDR either via DNA repair or the p53 DNA damage signaling axis, typically associated with the RNA metabolism aspects of these processes. (C) DDX helicases regulate complex nucleic acid species such as DNA:RNA hybrids and telomeric sequences, which are associated with DNA damage and genomic instability if left unprocessed. Created with BioRender.com accessed on 20 July 2021.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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