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Meiotic Genes and DNA Double Strand Break Repair in Cancer

Lea Lingg1,2, Sven Rottenberg1,2,3, Paola Francica1,2

  • 1Institute of Animal Pathology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.

Frontiers in Genetics
|March 7, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Tumors reactivate germ cell genes involved in DNA repair, driving genomic instability and impacting cancer therapy response. Targeting these aberrant meiotic genes offers a novel strategy for cancer treatment.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Tumor cells exhibit genetic alterations affecting gene expression and genomic integrity.
  • Aberrant reactivation of germ cell-specific genes, including those involved in homologous recombination, is observed in cancers.
  • These reactivated genes influence DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair, contributing to genomic instability and therapeutic resistance.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review meiotic genes aberrantly expressed in somatic cancers.
  • To highlight the role of these meiotic genes in DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair.
  • To explore the potential of targeting meiotic genes for cancer therapy.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of studies investigating meiotic gene expression in cancer.
  • Analysis of the role of meiotic genes in DNA repair pathways, particularly homology-directed repair (HDR).
  • Discussion of the implications for cancer treatment strategies.

Main Results:

  • Meiotic genes, typically repressed in somatic cells, are frequently reactivated in tumors.
  • Aberrant expression of these genes impacts DSB repair mechanisms in cancer cells.
  • This dysregulation contributes to genomic instability and affects treatment outcomes.

Conclusions:

  • Targeting aberrantly expressed meiotic genes presents a promising strategy for selective cancer cell killing.
  • Understanding the mechanistic role of meiotic genes in cancer DNA repair can reveal novel therapeutic vulnerabilities.
  • Exploiting these unique cancer vulnerabilities may lead to more effective and targeted anticancer therapies.
Keywords:
DNA repairgenomic instabilityhomologous recombinationmeiosismeiotic genesmitosis

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