Reawakening the Developmental Origins of Cancer Through Transposable Elements.

摘要: Transposable elements (TEs) have an established role as important regulators of early human development, functioning tissue-specific genes and regulatory elements. Functional TEs are highly active during interact with developmental genes, some which also function oncogenes. Dedifferentiation is a hallmark cancer, characterized by genetic epigenetic changes that enable proliferation, self-renewal metabolism reminiscent embryonic stem cells. There compelling evidence suggesting the path to dedifferentiation in cancer can contribute invasion metastasis. frequently expressed recent work has identified newly proposed mechanism involving extensive recruitment TE-derived promoters drive expression oncogenes subsequently promote oncogenesis-a process termed onco-exaptation. However, this phenomenon occurs, extent it contributes oncogenesis remains unknown. Initial hypotheses onco-exaptation events cancer-specific arise randomly due dysregulated hypomethylated state cells abundance across genome. we suspect exaptation-like may not just chance activation novel relationships previously, but result reestablishment relationships. well-documented, along TEs. The known interactions between pluripotency factors such NANOG OCTt4 placental-specific transcripts support possible link tumor Thus, hypothesize be associated reawakening regulate oncogenesis. We these dedifferentiation, although at stage hard predict whether TE one initial drivers dedifferentiation. expect occurs establishment landscape resembles development cancers exploit pathways, repurposing them malignancy.