RGTTCRA-containing tRNA-derived fragment (RGTTCRA-tRF)

RGTTCRA-containing tRNA-derived fragments (RGTTCRA-tRFs) are a specialized class of small non-coding RNAs generated from the T-loop region of mature or precursor tRNAs. These fragments are defined by the presence of the highly conserved RGTTCRA (where R is a purine) sequence motif, which is a hallmark of the tRNA T-loop (MINTbase; Keam & Hutvagner, 2015). Biologically, they act as potent post-transcriptional regulators by competing with the poly(A) tails of messenger RNAs for binding to Poly(A) Binding Protein Cytoplasmic 1 (PABPC1), thereby promoting the degradation of specific oncogenic mRNAs (Goodarzi et al., 2015, Cell). In clinical contexts, specific RGTTCRA-tRFs, such as tRF-30-JZOYRO9RGTTCRA, are frequently upregulated in malignancies like gastric cancer, where they drive cell proliferation, migration, and the epithelial-mesenchymal transition by targeting suppressors like FBXO11 (Zhang et al., 2020, Molecular Cancer). Their stability in circulation and distinct expression patterns in diseased tissues make them promising candidates for non-invasive diagnostic biomarkers. Furthermore, they are being explored as therapeutic targets, with research focusing on the use of antisense oligonucleotides to inhibit oncogenic tRFs or synthetic mimetics to restore tumor-suppressive tRF functions (Tong et al., 2021, Frontiers in Oncology).

Other names

3'-tRFT-loop-derived tRNA fragmenttRF-30-JZOYRO9RGTTCRAtRF-3006T-loop tRF

RGTTCRA-tRFs function by competitively binding to RNA-binding proteins, most notably Poly(A) Binding Protein Cytoplasmic 1 (PABPC1), thereby displacing them from the 3' untranslated regions (UTRs) of target mRNAs. This displacement leads to the destabilization and degradation of the target mRNAs and the subsequent inhibition of their translation. Additionally, specific members like tRF-30-JZOYRO9RGTTCRA can directly target the 3' UTR of specific genes, such as FBXO11, to modulate oncogenic signaling pathways.