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TUT7

TUT7, short for terminal uridylyl transferase 7, is a human enzyme encoded by the ZCCHC7 gene. It belongs to the family of terminal uridylyl transferases, non-canonical poly(A) polymerases that add uridine residues to the 3' ends of RNA molecules. In human cells, TUT7 is predominantly cytoplasmic and commonly functions together with its paralog TUT4 to modify RNA substrates.

A central role of TUT7 is to catalyze the addition of uridines to the 3' ends of

Beyond let-7 regulation, TUT7 is implicated in RNA quality control and turnover, including the uridylation of

Clinical and biological relevance arises from let-7’s role as a tumor suppressor and regulator of differentiation;

various
RNAs,
influencing
RNA
stability
and
maturation.
In
the
Lin28-let-7
pathway,
Lin28
proteins
recruit
TUT4
and
TUT7
to
pre-let-7
miRNA
precursors,
promoting
the
addition
of
short
oligo-uridines.
This
uridylation
can
block
maturation
by
Dicer
or
target
the
RNA
for
degradation
by
exonucleases
such
as
DIS3L2,
thereby
regulating
levels
of
let-7
microRNAs
which
are
important
for
development
and
cell
differentiation.
histone
mRNA
and
other
unstable
RNAs.
Its
activity
and
substrate
selection
can
be
influenced
by
interactions
with
Lin28
and
possibly
other
cofactors,
placing
TUT7
within
broader
RNA
surveillance
pathways
in
the
cytoplasm.
consequently,
altered
TUT7
activity
or
expression
can
affect
cellular
fate
and
has
been
explored
in
cancer-related
contexts.
TUT7
and
TUT4
together
represent
the
principal
cytoplasmic
uridylyltransferases
in
mammalian
cells,
contributing
to
post-transcriptional
gene
regulation
through
RNA
tailing.