Enolase 1 mRNA (ENO1 mRNA)

Enolase 1 (ENO1) mRNA is the transcript responsible for encoding alpha-enolase, a key glycolytic enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of 2-phosphoglycerate to phosphoenolpyruvate (NCBI Gene ID: 2022). Beyond its primary metabolic function, the ENO1 mRNA is unique because it can undergo alternative translation initiation from a downstream start codon to produce Myc-binding protein 1 (MBP-1), which acts as a transcriptional repressor of the c-Myc proto-oncogene (UniProt P06733). In many cancers, including pancreatic, lung, and breast malignancies, ENO1 mRNA is significantly upregulated to support the increased glycolytic flux known as the Warburg effect, promoting tumor growth and metastasis (Capello et al., 2011). Consequently, ENO1 mRNA has become a target for RNA-based therapeutic strategies, such as small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs), which aim to silence its expression and inhibit oncogenic progression (Yin et al., 2018). However, because alpha-enolase is a ubiquitous housekeeping enzyme, a major therapeutic challenge is achieving tumor-specific delivery to avoid disrupting essential glycolysis in healthy cells. Additionally, targeting the mRNA may inadvertently deplete the tumor-suppressive MBP-1 isoform, potentially leading to unintended upregulation of c-Myc signaling (Zakrzewicz et al., 2014).

Other names

Alpha-enolase mRNA2-phospho-D-glycerate hydro-lyase mRNAMyc-binding protein 1 mRNAMBP-1 mRNAENO1 transcript

RNA interference-mediated degradation or antisense-mediated knockdown of the ENO1 transcript to reduce the expression of alpha-enolase and MBP-1 proteins.