The converging roles of Batten disease proteins in neurodegeneration and cancer

Shyong Quan Yap; Sabateeshan Mathavarajah; Robert Joseph Huber

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2021.102337

The converging roles of Batten disease proteins in neurodegeneration and cancer

iScience. 2021 Mar 19;24(4):102337. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.102337. eCollection 2021 Apr 23.

Authors

Shyong Quan Yap¹, Sabateeshan Mathavarajah², Robert Joseph Huber³

Affiliations

¹ Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program, Trent University, Peterborough, ON K9L 0G2, Canada.
² Department of Pathology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada.
³ Department of Biology, Trent University, Peterborough, ON K9L 0G2, Canada.

Abstract

Epidemiological studies have reported an inverse correlation between cancer and neurodegenerative disorders, and increasing evidence shows that similar genes and pathways are dysregulated in both diseases but in a contrasting manner. Given the genetic convergence of the neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses (NCLs), a family of rare neurodegenerative disorders commonly known as Batten disease, and other neurodegenerative diseases, we sought to explore the relationship between cancer and the NCLs. In this review, we survey data from The Cancer Genome Atlas and available literature on the roles of NCL genes in different oncogenic processes to reveal links between all the NCL genes and cancer-related processes. We also discuss the potential contributions of NCL genes to cancer immunology. Based on our findings, we propose that further research on the relationship between cancer and the NCLs may help shed light on the roles of NCL genes in both diseases and possibly guide therapy development.

Keywords: Cancer; Clinical Neuroscience; Neurogenetics; Neuroscience.

Publication types

Review