Luiz O.F. Penalva
RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are critical regulators of gene expression, aNecting RNA
processing till translation. More than 1,500 proteins have been catalogued as RBPs in the
human genome. 1 RBPs are very diverse in respect to structure, characteristic of RNA
binding domain and function. In fact, RBPs are notoriously multi-functional with some of
them showing great target diversity and ability to bind both mRNA and diNerent types of
ncRNAs. By orchestrating the expression of gene networks, RBPs modulate complex
biological processes such as diNerentiation and cell fate decisions. 2 In cancer, aberrant
expression of RBPs has been reported over the years in multiple tumor solid tumors and
hematological malignancies. Their subsequent molecular characterization and genomic
analysis led to the identification of “oncogenic” RBPs and provided maps of their target
genes. Despite their relevance and established role in tumorigenesis, RBPs have not been
fully explored as candidate targets in cancer therapy.