Using a combination of hybridization of PAC to a cDNA library and RACE technique, we isolated a novel cDNA, designated as C17orf25 (Chromosome 17 open reading frame 25, previously named it HC71A), from the deletion region on chromosome 17p13.3. The cDNA encodes a protein of 313 amino acids with a calculated molecular mass of 34.8 kDa. C17orf25 is divided into 10 exons and 9 introns, spanning 23 kb of genomic DNA. Northern blot analysis showed that the mRNA expression of C17orf25 was decreased in hepatocellular carcinoma samples as compared to adjacent noncancerous liver tissues from the same patients. The transfection of C17orf25 into the hepatocellular carcinoma cell SMMC7721 and overexpression could inhibit the cell growth. The above results indicate that C17orf25 is a novel human gene, and the cloning and preliminary characterization of C17orf25 is a prerequisite for further functional analysis of this novel gene in human hepatocellular carcinoma.

Although most eukaryotic mRNAs require a 5ʹ-cap for translation initiation, some can also be translated through a poorly studied cap-independent pathway. Here we developed a circRNA-based system and unbiasedly identified more than 10,000 sequences in the human transcriptome that contain Cap-independent Translation Initiators (CiTIs). Surprisingly, most of the identified CiTIs are located in 3ʹUTRs, which mainly promote translation initiation in mRNAs bearing highly structured 5ʹUTR. Mechanistically, CiTI recruits several translation initiation factors including eIF3 and DHX29, which in turn unwind 5ʹUTR structures and facilitate ribosome scanning. Functionally, we showed that the translation of HIF1A mRNA, an endogenous DHX29 target, is antagonistically regulated by its 5ʹUTR structure and a new 3ʹ-CiTI in response to hypoxia. Therefore, deletion of 3ʹ-CiTI suppresses cell growth in hypoxia and tumor progression in vivo. Collectively, our study uncovers a new regulatory mode for translation where the 3ʹUTR actively participate in the translation initiation.