title: Polycomb Group (PcG) Proteins and Human Cancers: Multifaceted Functions and Therapeutic Implications.
abstract: Polycomb group (PcG) proteins are transcriptional repressors that regulate several crucial developmental and physiological processes in the cell. More recently, they have been found to play important roles in human carcinogenesis and cancer development and progression. The deregulation and dysfunction of PcG proteins often lead to blocking or inappropriate activation of developmental pathways, enhancing cellular proliferation, inhibiting apoptosis, and increasing the cancer stem cell population. Genetic and molecular investigations of PcG proteins have long been focused on their PcG functions. However, PcG proteins have recently been shown to exert non-classical-Pc-functions, contributing to the regulation of diverse cellular functions. We and others have demonstrated that PcG proteins regulate the expression and function of several oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes in a PcG-independent manner, and PcG proteins are associated with the survival of patients with cancer. In this review, we summarize the recent advances in the research on PcG proteins, including both the Pc-repressive and non-classical-Pc-functions. We specifically focus on the mechanisms by which PcG proteins play roles in cancer initiation, development, and progression. Finally, we discuss the potential value of PcG proteins as molecular biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of cancer, and as molecular targets for cancer therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Amarillo, TX, 79106.|Center for Cancer Biology and Therapy, School of Pharmacy, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Amarillo, TX, 79106.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Amarillo, TX, 79106.
authors.forename: Jiang-Jiang
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Amarillo, TX, 79106.
authors.forename: Sukesh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Voruganti
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Amarillo, TX, 79106.
authors.forename: Subhasree
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nag
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Cell Biology and Toxicology, Cancer Center, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Jianwei
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Amarillo, TX, 79106.|Center for Cancer Biology and Therapy, School of Pharmacy, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Amarillo, TX, 79106.
authors.forename: Ruiwen
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000503:physiopathology*; D063146:Polycomb-Group Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D063146:Polycomb-Group Proteins
keywords: cancer, oncogene; polycomb group proteins; polycomb-repressive complex; tumor suppressor