Associate Professor ZHAO Shubo from Jilin University (JLU), in collaboration with Professor Julian Stingele from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, recently published a comprehensive review in Cell titled Cellular responses to RNA damage.

The article explores the sources of RNA damage – such as oxidative stress, UV radiation, and metabolic byproducts, key cellular response pathways like the Ribotoxic Stress Response (RSR) and Integrated Stress Response (ISR), and repair mechanisms including RNA degradation, demethylation, and ligation.

The review highlights how RNA damage impairs translation accuracy and cellular function, potentially triggering inflammation, cell cycle arrest, and cancer. It emphasizes two critical roles of RNA damage responses: preserving short-term cellular stability and acting as an early warning system for DNA damage.

By summarizing recent advances in RNA repair, the study deepens understanding of RNA homeostasis and its link to disease, offering new avenues for therapeutic development.

Link to paper: https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(25)00034-0