Nakasuka Fumie, Yamada Yasuhiro
Division of Stem Cell Pathology, Center for Experimental Medicine and Systems Biology, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo.
Gan To Kagaku Ryoho. 2020 Oct;47(10):1407-1410.
Seminal studies by Dr. Shinya Yamanaka revealed that reprogramming technology was able to convert differentiated somatic cells to self-renewing and pluripotent stem cells. Although reprogramming process does not require changes in the genome information, cellular reprogramming elicits dynamic changes of epigenetic regulation. Therefore, reprogramming technology is a powerful tool for the modifying epigenetic regulation. Previous studies have reported that epigenetic regulation plays a critical role on both the development and maintenance of cancer cells. Taking advantage of reprogramming technology, previous studies have actively modified the epigenome of cancer cells and revealed the importance of the coordinated interactions between genetic abnormalities and epigenetic regulation in cancer cells. In this review, we describe advances and challenges in the use of reprogramming technology for studying cancer biology.
山中伸弥博士的开创性研究表明，重编程技术能够将分化的体细胞转化为自我更新的多能干细胞。尽管重编程过程不需要改变基因组信息，但细胞重编程会引发表观遗传调控的动态变化。因此，重编程技术是一种用于修饰表观遗传调控的强大工具。先前的研究报道，表观遗传调控在癌细胞的发生发展及维持过程中均发挥着关键作用。利用重编程技术，先前的研究积极地修饰了癌细胞的表观基因组，并揭示了癌细胞中基因异常与表观遗传调控之间协同相互作用的重要性。在本综述中，我们描述了利用重编程技术研究癌症生物学的进展与挑战。
