title: Circadian disruption and breast cancer: an epigenetic link?
abstract: Breast cancer is already the most common malignancy affecting women worldwide, and evidence is mounting that breast cancer induced by circadian disruption (CD) is a warranted concern. Numerous studies have investigated various aspects of the circadian clock in relation to breast cancer, and evidence from these studies indicates that melatonin and the core clock genes can play a crucial role in breast cancer development. Even though epigenetics has been increasingly recognized as a key player in the etiology of breast cancer and linked to circadian rhythms, and there is evidence of overlap between epigenetic deregulation and breast cancer induced by circadian disruption, only a handful of studies have directly investigated the role of epigenetics in CD-induced breast cancer. This review explores the circadian clock and breast cancer, and the growing role of epigenetics in breast cancer development and circadian rhythms. We also summarize the current knowledge and next steps for the investigation of the epigenetic link in CD-induced breast cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada.
authors.forename: David Z
authors.initials: DZ
authors.lastname: Kochan
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada.
authors.forename: Olga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kovalchuk
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D056926:CLOCK Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D057906:Circadian Clocks / Q000235:genetics*; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D056926:CLOCK Proteins
keywords: breast cancer; circadian disruption (CD); circadian rhythms; epigenetics; melatonin (MLT)