Our data furthermore suggest a possible role of Dbp5/DDX19 in alternative translation termination events, such as during stress response or in developmental processes, which classifies the helicase as a potential drug target for nonsense suppression therapy to treat cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.
Furthermore, SON was implicated to have a key role in stem cells as well as during the onset of various diseases such as cancer, influenza, and hepatitis.
These results reveal a mechanism for controlling cell-cycle progression through SON-dependent constitutive splicing at suboptimal splice sites, with strong implications for its role in cancer and other human diseases.