Genes and Cancer Group, Cancer Epigenetics and Biology Program, Institut d'Investigacions Biomediques Bellvitge, Hospital Duran i Reynals, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat-Barcelona, Spain.
Expert Opin Ther Targets. 2012 Sep;16(9):903-19. doi: 10.1517/14728222.2012.709239. Epub 2012 Jul 26.
It has been more that 20 years since the first SOX genes were discovered. Twenty SOX genes have now been identified in mammals and classified into groups with respect to protein identity. SOX family genes code for transcription factors that either activate or repress lineage-specific genes during embryonic development. Furthermore, SOX genes are altered in human genetic syndromes and malignancies, highlighting their involvement in development.
This paper reviews the role of SOX genes in embryonic development and human diseases, and describe their involvement in human cancers and possible use in cancer therapeutics.
Since most SOX genes behave as oncogenes in many human cancers, their targeting has great therapeutic potential. However, novel specific therapies such as those recently developed against growth factor receptors based on monoclonal antibodies, small inhibitors and even small interfering RNA strategies are difficult to implement for transcriptional factors. Novel strategies are being developed to overcome some of these obstacles. Alternative approaches could indirectly tackle altered SOX genes by exploiting the related molecular networks.
自第一个 SOX 基因被发现以来，已经过去了 20 多年。现在在哺乳动物中已经鉴定出了 20 个 SOX 基因，并根据蛋白质同一性进行了分类。SOX 家族基因编码转录因子，在胚胎发育过程中激活或抑制谱系特异性基因。此外，SOX 基因在人类遗传综合征和恶性肿瘤中发生改变，这突出了它们在发育中的作用。
本文综述了 SOX 基因在胚胎发育和人类疾病中的作用，并描述了它们在人类癌症中的参与以及在癌症治疗中的可能应用。
由于大多数 SOX 基因在许多人类癌症中表现为癌基因，因此针对它们具有很大的治疗潜力。然而，针对基于单克隆抗体、小分子抑制剂甚至小干扰 RNA 策略的生长因子受体的新型特异性疗法，对于转录因子来说很难实施。目前正在开发新的策略来克服其中的一些障碍。替代方法可以通过利用相关的分子网络，间接地解决改变的 SOX 基因问题。
