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Sci. Signal., 18 September 2012
Vol. 5, Issue 242, p. re5
[DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.2002858]

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Pseudogenes: Newly Discovered Players in Human Cancer

Laura Poliseno*

Oncogenomics Unit, Core Research Laboratory, Istituto Toscano Tumori (CRL-ITT), c/o IFC-CNR Via Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy.

Abstract: Because they are generally noncoding and thus considered nonfunctional and unimportant, pseudogenes have long been neglected. Recent advances have established that the DNA of a pseudogene, the RNA transcribed from a pseudogene, or the protein translated from a pseudogene can have multiple, diverse functions and that these functions can affect not only their parental genes but also unrelated genes. Therefore, pseudogenes have emerged as a previously unappreciated class of sophisticated modulators of gene expression, with a multifaceted involvement in the pathogenesis of human cancer.

* Corresponding author. E-mail: laura.poliseno{at}gmail.com

Citation: L. Poliseno, Pseudogenes: Newly Discovered Players in Human Cancer. Sci. Signal. 5, re5 (2012).

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