RNA editing in interferonopathies

Abstract

The type I interferonopathies comprise a heterogenous group of monogenic diseases associated with a constitutive activation of type I interferon signaling. The elucidation of the genetic causes of this group of diseases revealed an alteration of nucleic acid processing and signaling. ADAR1 is among the genes found mutated in patients with this type of disorders. This enzyme catalyzes the hydrolytic deamination of adenosines in inosines within a double-stranded RNA target (RNA editing of A to I). This RNA modification is widespread in human cells and deregulated in a variety of human diseases, ranging from cancers to neurological abnormalities. In this review, we briefly summarize the knowledge about the RNA editing alterations occurring in patients with mutations in ADAR1 gene and how these alterations might cause the inappropriate IFN activation.