Caenorhabditis elegans as a model for cancer research.
The term cancer describes a group of multifaceted diseases characterized by an intricate pathophysiology. Despite significant advances in the fight against cancer, it remains a key public health concern and burden on societies worldwide. Elucidation of key molecular and cellular mechanisms of oncogenic diseases will facilitate the development of better intervention strategies to counter or prevent tumor development. In vivo and in vitro models have long been used to delineate distinct biological processes involved in cancer such as apoptosis, proliferation, angiogenesis, invasion, metastasis, genome instability, and metabolism. In this review, we introduce Caenorhabditis elegans as an emerging animal model for systematic dissection of the molecular basis of tumorigenesis, focusing on the well-established processes of apoptosis and autophagy. Additionally, we propose that C. elegans can be used to advance our understanding of cancer progression, such as deregulation of energy metabolism, stem cell reprogramming, and host-microflora interactions.
Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology; Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas.
Emmanouil
E
Kyriakakis
Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology; Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas.
Maria
M
Markaki
Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology; Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas; Department of Basic Sciences; Faculty of Medicine; University of Crete Heraklion; Crete, Greece.
Nektarios
N
Tavernarakis
Caenorhabditis elegans; cancer; cancer stem cells; cell death; cellular energetics; genome instability; host-microbe interactions; tumor