The long (lncRNA) and short (miRNA) of it: TGFβ-mediated Control of RNA-binding Proteins and non-coding RNAs

RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) and non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), such as long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs), control co- and post-transcriptional gene regulation (PTR). At the PTR level, RBPs and ncRNAs contribute to pre-mRNA processing, mRNA maturation, transport, localization, turnover, and translation. Deregulation of RBPs and ncRNAs promote the onset of cancer progression and metastasis. Both RBPs and ncRNAs are altered by signaling cascades to cooperate or compete with each other to bind their nucleic acid targets. Most importantly, transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) signaling plays a significant role in controlling gene expression patterns by targeting RBPs and ncRNAs. Because of TGF-β signaling in cancer, RBP-RNA or RNA-RNA interactions are altered and cause enhanced cell growth and tumor cell dissemination. This review, focuses on the emerging concepts of TGF-β signaling on post-transcriptional gene regulation and highlights the implications of RNA-binding proteins and non-coding RNAs in cancer progression and metastasis.