Epigenetic Factors Involved in the Development of Tumors of the Digestive Tract

A special issue of Biology (ISSN 2079-7737). This special issue belongs to the section "Genetics and Genomics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2022) | Viewed by 6312

Special Issue Editors

1 Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy
2 Research Center for Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Cancer, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy
Interests: oncology; melanoma; bioinformatics; immunotherapy; ferroptosis; DNA methylation; tumor microenvironment; cancer biomarkers; cancer treatment response
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Department of Medical Sciences, Surgical and Advanced Technologies, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy
Interests: audiology; phoniatrics; hearing disorders

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The digestive tract is constantly exposed to environmental factors, including air pollutants, microorganisms, and harmful agents (e.g., smoke and alcohol), able to induce both genetic and epigenetic changes that may alter its cellular biology and homeostasis. A growing body of evidence demonstrated that these stimuli induce molecular alterations involved in the development of inflammatory and chronic diseases, including cancer. In this context, among the epigenetic modifications induced by environmental factors, DNA methylation and the alteration of the expression levels of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), including microRNAs (miRNAs), circRNA, and lncRNA, have been recognized as key mechanisms underlying tumor development in the digestive tract. Therefore, the early identification of such epigenetic alterations may give further information for the understanding of tumor biology and may predict the risk of cancer development.

On these basis, the aim of this Special Issue is to highlight the main findings regarding the identification of epigenetic factors involved in neoplastic transformation and their potential role as useful biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of tumors affecting the digestive tract, from the oral cavity to the rectum. In addition, this Special Issue aims to collect the latest discoveries about the use of epigenetic factors as novel and promising therapeutic targets for the treatment of tumors.

Potential topics will include but are not limited to:

Epigenetic modifications as early events of neoplastic transformation;

Epigenetic regulation of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes;

ncRNA (miRNAs, lncRNAs and circRNAs) as tumor biomarkers;

DNA methylation hotspots in tumor biology;

ncRNAs in tumor biology;

ncRNAs and DNA methylation hotspots as therapeutic targets;

Epigenetic factors as indicators of therapeutic efficacy;

Liquid biopsies and epigenetic circulating biomarkers for the management of cancer patients;

Epigenetic biomarkers for the prediction of the therapeutic response and drug resistance.

Dr. Luca Falzone
Dr. Saverio Candido
Dr. Caterina Maria Grillo
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • microRNA
  • DNA methylation
  • ncRNAs
  • epigenetics
  • digestive tract
  • oral cancer
  • gastrointestinal cancer
  • biomarkers
  • diagnosis
  • prognosis
  • therapy

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 7367 KiB  
Article
Droplet Digital PCR Analysis of Liquid Biopsy Samples Unveils the Diagnostic Role of hsa-miR-133a-3p and hsa-miR-375-3p in Oral Cancer
by Salvatore Crimi, Luca Falzone, Giuseppe Gattuso, Caterina Maria Grillo, Saverio Candido, Alberto Bianchi and Massimo Libra
Biology 2020, 9(11), 379; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/biology9110379 - 06 Nov 2020
Cited by 29 | Viewed by 2656
Abstract
Despite the availability of screening programs, oral cancer deaths are increasing due to the lack of diagnostic biomarkers leading to late diagnosis and a poor prognosis. Therefore, there is an urgent need to discover novel effective biomarkers for this tumor. On these bases, [...] Read more.
Despite the availability of screening programs, oral cancer deaths are increasing due to the lack of diagnostic biomarkers leading to late diagnosis and a poor prognosis. Therefore, there is an urgent need to discover novel effective biomarkers for this tumor. On these bases, the aim of this study was to validate the diagnostic potential of microRNAs (miRNAs) through the analysis of liquid biopsy samples obtained from ten oral cancer patients and ten healthy controls. The expression of four selected miRNAs was evaluated by using droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) in a pilot cohort of ten oral cancer patients and ten healthy donors. Bioinformatics analyses were performed to assess the functional role of these miRNAs. The expression levels of the predicted down-regulated hsa-miR-133a-3p and hsa-miR-375-3p were significantly reduced in oral cancer patients compared to normal individuals while no significant results were obtained for the up-regulated hsa-miR-503-5p and hsa-miR-196a-5p. ROC analysis confirmed the high sensitivity and specificity of hsa-miR-375-3p and hsa-miR-133a-3p. Therefore, both miRNAs are significantly down-regulated in cancer patients and can be used as biomarkers for the early diagnosis of oral cancer. The analysis of circulating miRNAs in a larger series of patients is mandatory to confirm the results obtained in this pilot study. Full article
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16 pages, 513 KiB  
Review
Genetic Mutations and Non-Coding RNA-Based Epigenetic Alterations Mediating the Warburg Effect in Colorectal Carcinogenesis
by Batoul Abi Zamer, Wafaa Abumustafa, Mawieh Hamad, Azzam A. Maghazachi and Jibran Sualeh Muhammad
Biology 2021, 10(9), 847; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/biology10090847 - 30 Aug 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2989
Abstract
Colorectal cancer (CRC) development is a gradual process defined by the accumulation of numerous genetic mutations and epigenetic alterations leading to the adenoma-carcinoma sequence. Despite significant advances in the diagnosis and treatment of CRC, it continues to be a leading cause of cancer-related [...] Read more.
Colorectal cancer (CRC) development is a gradual process defined by the accumulation of numerous genetic mutations and epigenetic alterations leading to the adenoma-carcinoma sequence. Despite significant advances in the diagnosis and treatment of CRC, it continues to be a leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Even in the presence of oxygen, CRC cells bypass oxidative phosphorylation to produce metabolites that enable them to proliferate and survive—a phenomenon known as the “Warburg effect”. Understanding the complex glucose metabolism in CRC cells may support the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. Here we discuss the most recent findings on genetic mutations and epigenetic modulations that may positively or negatively regulate the Warburg effect in CRC cells. We focus on the non-coding RNA (ncRNA)-based epigenetics, and we present a perspective on the therapeutic relevance of critical molecules and ncRNAs mediating the Warburg effect in CRC cells. All the relevant studies were identified and assessed according to the genes and enzymes mediating the Warburg effect. The findings summarized in this review should provide a better understanding of the relevance of genetic mutations and the ncRNA-based epigenetic alterations to CRC pathogenesis to help overcome chemoresistance. Full article
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