How germline genes promote malignancy in cancer cells.

Autor: Bruggeman JW; Reproductive Biology Laboratory, Center for Reproductive Medicine, Amsterdam UMC location University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.; Amsterdam Reproduction and Development research institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands., Koster J; Center for Experimental and Molecular Medicine, Amsterdam UMC location University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands., van Pelt AMM; Reproductive Biology Laboratory, Center for Reproductive Medicine, Amsterdam UMC location University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.; Amsterdam Reproduction and Development research institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands., Speijer D; Medical Biochemistry, Amsterdam UMC location University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands., Hamer G; Reproductive Biology Laboratory, Center for Reproductive Medicine, Amsterdam UMC location University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.; Amsterdam Reproduction and Development research institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: BioEssays : news and reviews in molecular, cellular and developmental biology [Bioessays] 2023 Jan; Vol. 45 (1), pp. e2200112. Date of Electronic Publication: 2022 Oct 27.
DOI: 10.1002/bies.202200112
Abstrakt: Cancers often express hundreds of genes otherwise specific to germ cells, the germline/cancer (GC) genes. Here, we present and discuss the hypothesis that activation of a "germline program" promotes cancer cell malignancy. We do so by proposing four hallmark processes of the germline: meiosis, epigenetic plasticity, migration, and metabolic plasticity. Together, these hallmarks enable replicative immortality of germ cells as well as cancer cells. Especially meiotic genes are frequently expressed in cancer, implying that genes unique to meiosis may play a role in oncogenesis. Because GC genes are not expressed in healthy somatic tissues, they form an appealing source of specific treatment targets with limited side effects besides infertility. Although it is still unclear why germ cell specific genes are so abundantly expressed in cancer, from our hypothesis it follows that the germline's reproductive program is intrinsic to cancer development.
(© 2022 The Authors. BioEssays published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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