Discover the surprising effects of human APOBEC3B gene expression in mice, a breakthrough study revealing the fine line between RNA editing and lethality.
– by James
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Acute expression of human APOBEC3B in mice results in RNA editing and lethality.
Alonso de la Vega et al., Genome Biol 2023
DOI: 10.1186/s13059-023-03115-4
What’s New: This study introduces a novel mouse model with doxycycline-inducible expression of human APOBEC3B to explore its role in tissue homeostasis and potential involvement in C-to-U RNA editing.
Importance: APOBEC3B is known for inducing DNA mutations and contributing to tumor evolution. This research uncovers a new function of APOBEC3B in RNA editing, which has not been previously studied.
Contribution to Literature: The findings demonstrate that high levels of APOBEC3B result in significant UCC-to-UUC RNA editing events, distinct from changes in genomic DNA. This suggests a deaminase-dependent RNA editing mechanism. The mouse model developed provides a valuable preclinical tool for further investigation into APOBEC3B’s role in carcinogenesis, expanding our understanding of genetic heterogeneity in cancer development.