Translational control of cell growth and malignancy by the CPEBs

The CPEBs regulate polyadenylation — and thus expression — of certain RNAs, including those encoding oncogenes and tumour suppressors. This Opinion article analyses whether the CPEBs are deregulated in cancer and discusses the possible implications for cancer biology. The cytoplasmic polyadenylation element binding proteins (CPEBs) associate with specific sequences in mRNA 3′ untranslated regions to promote translation. They do so by inducing cytoplasmic polyadenylation, which requires specialized poly(A) polymerases. Aberrant expression of these proteins correlates with certain types of cancer, indicating that cytoplasmic RNA 3′ end processing is important in the control of growth. Several CPEB-regulated mRNAs govern cell cycle progression, regulate senescence, establish cell polarity, and promote tumorigenesis and metastasis. In this Opinion article, we discuss the emerging evidence that indicates a key role for the CPEBs in cancer biology.