Translation Reprogramming Caused by tRNA Modifications Represents a New Therapeutic Target for Cancer Treatment

Translation reprogramming-induced dysregulation of protein synthesis is a widespread phenomenon in disease progression, especially in tumor cells, where there is abnormally active protein synthesis to support the increasing demands of oncogene expression. This aberrant translation process contributes to various malignant phenotypes of tumors. In the process of protein synthesis, transfer RNAs (tRNAs) transport amino acids to the ribosome according to the codon sequence on mRNA to synthesize the corresponding peptide chain. Thus, tRNAs play a major role in the regulation of translation reprogramming. With the development of sequencing and mass spectrometry technologies, various modifications have been identified in tRNAs. Abnormal tRNA modifications lead to translation reprogramming by affecting the abundance of tRNAs, the cleavage of tRNAs, and the ability of tRNAs to decode mRNAs, thereby promoting the progression of tumors. This review focuses on the mechanisms by which aberrant tRNA modifications contribute to tumorigenesis through translation reprogramming, and provides a comprehensive summary and discussion on the clinical prospects of targeting excessive translation driven by tRNA modifications for cancer therapy. This article is categorized under: Translation > Mechanisms RNA Processing > RNA Editing and Modification.