A tRNA with oncogenic capacity

摘要

Overexpression of Brf1, a transcription factor of the RNA polymerase III apparatus, can transform cells in vitro and cause tumor formation in vivo. Marshall et al. (2008) now show that one of the transcriptional products of RNA polymerase III, the initiator tRNAMet, mediates this effect, revealing an unexpected role for this tRNA in tumorigenesis.