The meaning of PIWI proteins in cancer development
| Autor: | Anna Szczepańska-Buda, Aleksandra Piotrowska, Wojciech Witkiewicz, Piotr Dziegiel, Monika Litwin |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2017 |
| Předmět: |
0301 basic medicine
cancer stem cells Cancer Research endocrine system Population Piwi-interacting RNA Review Biology medicine.disease_cause Germline 03 medical and health sciences 0302 clinical medicine Cancer stem cell medicine Epigenetics education P-element-induced wimpy testis education.field_of_study urogenital system Cancer medicine.disease PIWI-interacting RNA Cell biology 030104 developmental biology Oncology 030220 oncology & carcinogenesis Cancer cell Carcinogenesis |
| Zdroj: | Oncology Letters |
| ISSN: | 1792-1082 1792-1074 |
| Popis: | Cancer is a histologically and genetically heterogeneous population of tumor cells that exhibits distinct molecular profiles determined by epigenetic alterations. P-element-induced wimpy testis (PIWI) proteins in complex with PIWI-interacting RNA (piRNA) have been previously demonstrated to be involved in epigenetic regulation in germline cells. Recently, reactivation of PIWI expression, primarily PIWI-like protein 1 and 2, through aberrant DNA methylation resulting in genomic silencing has been identified in various types of tumors. It has been suggested that the PIWI-piRNA complex contributes to cancer development and progression by promoting a stem-like state of cancer cells, or cancer stem cells (CSCs). It has been identified that CSCs represent the cells that have undergone epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and acquired metastatic capacities. However, the molecular association between the EMT process and the stem-cell state remains unclear. Further extensive characterization of CSCs in individual types of tumors is required to identify specific markers for the heterogeneous population of CSCs and therefore selectively target CSCs. Previous studies indicate a reciprocal regulation between PIWI proteins and a complex signaling network linking markers characterized for CSCs and transcription factors involved in EMT. In the present review, studies of PIWI function are summarized, and the potential involvement of PIWI proteins in cancer development and progression is discussed. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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