Molecular insight in gastric cancer induction: an overview of cancer stemness genes

Cell Biochem Biophys. 2014 Apr;68(3):463-73. doi: 10.1007/s12013-013-9749-7.

Abstract

Gastric cancer is one of the most outgoing human cancers in the world. Two main functional types were described: Intestinal adenocarcinoma and diffuse one. The most important purpose of this review is to analyze and investigate the main genetic factors involved in tumorogenesis of stomach and the molecular mechanism of their expression regulation alongside with the importance of cancer stem cells and their relationship with gastric cancer. It is evident that proper diagnosis of molecular case of cancer may lead to absolute treatment and at least reduction in the disease severity. However, stemness factors such as Sox2, Oct3/4, and Nanog were related with induced pluripotent stem cells, proposing a correlation between these stemness factors and cancer stem cells. Moreover, aberrant induction by Helicobacter pylori of the intestinal-specific homeobox transcription factors, CDX1 and CDX2, also plays an important role in this modification. There are some genes which are directly activated by CDX1 in gastric cancer and distinguished stemness-related reprogramming factors like SALL4 and KLF5. Correspondingly, we also aimed to present the main important epigenetic changes such as DNA methylation, histone modification, and chromatin modeling of stemness genes in disease development. Remarkably, a better understanding of molecular bases of cancer may lead to novel diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventive approaches by some genetic and epigenetic changes such as gene amplifications, gene silencing by DNA methylation, losses of imprinting, LOH, and mutations. Consequently, genome-wide searches of gene expression are widely important for surveying the proper mechanisms of cancer emergence and development. Conspicuously, this review explains an outline of the molecular mechanism and new approaches in gastric cancer.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Carcinogenesis*
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
  • Genetic Markers / genetics
  • Helicobacter Infections / complications
  • Humans
  • Neoplastic Stem Cells / metabolism
  • Neoplastic Stem Cells / pathology*
  • Stomach Neoplasms / genetics*
  • Stomach Neoplasms / metabolism
  • Stomach Neoplasms / microbiology
  • Stomach Neoplasms / pathology*

Substances

  • Genetic Markers