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World J Gastroenterol. Feb 28, 2014; 20(8): 1986-1992
Published online Feb 28, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i8.1986
Published online Feb 28, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i8.1986
Clock genes: Their role in colorectal cancer
Theodoros Karantanos, George Theodoropoulos, First Department of Propaedeutic Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Athens, 11725 Athens, Greece
Dimitrios Pektasides, Second Pathology Department, School of Medicine, University of Athens, 11725 Athens, Greece
Maria Gazouli, Department of Basic Medical Science, Laboratory of Biology, School of Medicine, University of Athens, 11725 Athens, Greece
Author contributions: Karantanos T, Theodoropoulos G and Gazouli M designed the structure and wrote the manuscript; Theodoropoulos G and Pektasides D edited the manuscript.
Correspondence to: Maria Gazouli, Assistant Professor, Department of Basic Medical Science, Laboratory of Biology, School of Medicine, University of Athens, Michalakopoulou 176, 11725 Athens, Greece. mgazouli@med.uoa.gr
Telephone: +30-21-07462231 Fax: +30-21-07462231
Received: August 20, 2013
Revised: January 6, 2014
Accepted: January 20, 2014
Published online: February 28, 2014
Revised: January 6, 2014
Accepted: January 20, 2014
Published online: February 28, 2014
Core Tip
Core tip: Clock genes are involved in numerous cellular activities such as cell cycle and DNA repair with various implications in the development of colorectal cancer. Multiple clinical and epidemiological data support these correlations and suggest that altered expression of these genes may be critical for the initiation and progression of this disease while their levels may predict bad response to traditional therapeutic approaches and poor clinical outcome. Finally, the defective circadian system may represent an attractive and currently unknown pathway which can be targeted by novel agents in aggressive colorectal cancers.