Silva J, Fernandes R, Romão L. J Rare Dis Res Treat. (2017) 2(4): 33-38 Journal of www.rarediseasesjournal.com Rare Diseases Research & Treatment Mini review Open Access Gene expression regulation by upstream open reading frames in rare diseases Joana Silva1,2, Rafael Fernandes1,2, and Luísa Romão1,2* 1Department of Human Genetics, Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge, Lisboa, Portugal 2Gene Expression and Regulation Group, Biosystems & Integrative Sciences Institute (BioISI), Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal Article Info ABSTRACT Article Notes Upstream open reading frames (uORFs) constitute a class of cis-acting Received: June 19, 2017 elements that regulate translation initiation. Mutations or polymorphisms that Accepted: July 21, 2017 alter, create or disrupt a uORF have been widely associated with several human *Correspondence: disorders, including rare diseases. In this mini-review, we intend to highlight the Dr. Luísa Romão, Department of Human Genetics, Instituto mechanisms associated with the uORF-mediated translational regulation and Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge, Av. Padre Cruz, describe recent examples of their deregulation in the etiology of human rare 1649-016, Lisboa, Portugal; Tel: (+351) 21 750 8155; Fax: diseases. Additionally, we discuss new insights arising from ribosome profiling (+351) 21 752 6410; studies and reporter assays regarding uORF features and their intrinsic role E-mail:
[email protected]. in translational regulation. This type of knowledge is of most importance to © 2017 Romão L. This article is distributed under the terms of design and implement new or improved diagnostic and/or treatment strategies the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.