Drug resistance in colorectal cancer: An epigenetic overview

Maochao Luo; Xingyue Yang; Hai-Ning Chen; Edouard C Nice; Canhua Huang

doi:10.1016/j.bbcan.2021.188623

Drug resistance in colorectal cancer: An epigenetic overview

Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer. 2021 Dec;1876(2):188623. doi: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2021.188623. Epub 2021 Sep 1.

Authors

Maochao Luo¹, Xingyue Yang¹, Hai-Ning Chen², Edouard C Nice³, Canhua Huang⁴

Affiliations

¹ The Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang 315020, China; State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu 610041, China.
² Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China.
³ Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia. Electronic address: ed.nice@monash.edu.
⁴ The Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang 315020, China; State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu 610041, China. Electronic address: hcanhua@hotmail.com.

PMID: 34481016
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2021.188623

Abstract

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Despite significant progress that has been made in therapies against CRC over the past decades, drug resistance is still a major limitation in CRC treatment. Numerous investigations have unequivocally shown that epigenetic regulation plays an important role in CRC drug resistance because of the high rate of epigenetic alterations in multiple genes during cancer development or drug treatment. Furthermore, the reversibility of epigenetic alterations provides novel therapeutic strategies to overcome drug resistance using small molecules, which can target non-coding RNAs or reverse histone modification and DNA methylation. In this review, we discuss epigenetic regulation in CRC drug resistance and the possible role of preventing or reversing CRC drug resistance using epigenetic therapy in CRC treatment.

Keywords: Colorectal cancer; DNA methylation; Drug resistance; Histone modification; Noncoding RNA.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Colorectal Neoplasms / genetics*
DNA Methylation / genetics*
Drug Resistance, Neoplasm / genetics*
Epigenesis, Genetic / genetics*
Histones / genetics*
Humans
Signal Transduction

Substances

Histones