tsRNA signatures in cancer

Significance We found that tRNA-derived small RNAs (tsRNAs) are dysregulated in many cancers and that their expression is modulated during cancer development and staging. Indeed, activation of oncogenes and inactivation of tumor suppressors lead to a dysregulation of specific tsRNAs, and tsRNA-KO cells display a specific change in gene-expression profile. Thus tsRNAs could be key effectors in cancer-related pathways. These results indicate active crosstalk between tsRNAs and oncogenes and suggest that tsRNAs could be useful markers for diagnosis or targets for therapy. Additionally, ts-46 and ts-47 affect cell growth in lung cancer cell lines, further confirming the involvement of tsRNAs in cancer pathogenesis.