RNA editing as an activator of self-renewal in cancer

Malignant transformation and cancer progression are complex processes caused by dysfunction of genetic programs. It is well established that aberrant posttranscriptional regulation of messenger RNA contributes the pathogenesis of many types of tumors initiation, progression and treatment evasion (1). One such mechanism is the IFN-γ pathway activation of the ADAR1-p150 isoform in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) progenitors. This pathway was shown to lead to activation of expression of self-renewal genes (2).