Science sub-journal: Disturbance of the biological clock can directly accelerate the progression of colorectal cancer!

Introduction: An alarming increase in the incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) in young adults has been reported; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain undefine.

The study, titled "Disruption of the circadian clock drives Apc loss of heterozygosity to accelerate colorectal cancer," was published Au.

Background

01

According to the National Institutes of Health, there has been an alarming rise in the incidence of early-onset colorectal cancer among young adult.

"As a society, we are chronically exposed to several environmental factors that affect our biological clocks, including night shift work, prolonged light exposure, changes in sleep/wake cycles and changes in feeding behaviors," said Selma Masri, assistant professor of biochemistry at the UCI School of Medicin.

Research progress

02

During the study, the scientists developed a novel tissue-specific genetically engineered mouse model (GEMM) to define the molecular pathways linking circadian disruption and CRC pathogenesi.

Research result

03

In this study, researchers found that both genetic disruption and environmental disruption of the circadian clock contribute to mutations in the adenomatous polyposis Escherichia coli (APC) tumor suppressor, which is found in the vast majority of human colorectal cancers (CRCs.

APC mutations are also associated with second hits in key oncogenic pathways, including Kras, Braf, p53 and Smad4, that drive adenocarcinoma progression, collectively promoting disease progressio.

Significance

04

The biological clock is an internal biological pacemaker that controls many physiological processe.

References:

https://phy.