Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates.
Sharjah Institute for Medical Research, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates.
Cells. 2021 Oct 24;10(11):2862. doi: 10.3390/cells10112862.
Cancer cells can reprogram their metabolic activities and undergo uncontrolled proliferation by utilizing the power of heat shock proteins (HSPs). HSPs are highly conserved chaperones that facilitate the folding of intracellular proteins under stress. Constitutively, HSPs are expressed at low levels, but their expression upregulates in response to a wide variety of insults, including anticancer drugs, allowing cancer cells to develop chemoresistance. In recent years, several researchers have reported that HSPs could be an important therapeutic target in difficult-to-treat cancers such as colorectal carcinoma (CRC). Worldwide, CRC is the second most common type of cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths. The molecular complexity of CRC and the coexisting inflammatory conditions present a significant obstacle to developing effective treatment. Recently, considerable progress has been made in enhancing our understanding of the role of HSPs in CRC pathogenesis. Moreover, novel therapeutic strategies targeting HSPs, either alone or in combination with other anticancer agents, have been reported. Herein, we present an overview of the functional mechanisms and the diagnostic and prognostic potential of HSPs in CRC. We also discuss emerging anti-CRC strategies based on targeting HSPs.
癌细胞可以通过利用热休克蛋白（HSPs）的力量重新编程其代谢活动并进行不受控制的增殖。HSPs 是高度保守的伴侣蛋白，可在应激下促进细胞内蛋白质的折叠。HSPs 通常以低水平表达，但在受到包括抗癌药物在内的各种刺激时，其表达会上调，使癌细胞产生化疗耐药性。近年来，一些研究人员报告称，HSPs 可能是结直肠癌（CRC）等难以治疗的癌症的一个重要治疗靶点。在全球范围内，CRC 是第二常见的癌症类型，也是癌症相关死亡的第二大主要原因。CRC 的分子复杂性和共存的炎症状态对开发有效的治疗方法构成了重大障碍。最近，人们在增强对 HSPs 在 CRC 发病机制中的作用的理解方面取得了相当大的进展。此外，已经报道了针对 HSPs 的单独或联合其他抗癌药物的新型治疗策略。本文概述了 HSPs 在 CRC 中的功能机制以及诊断和预后潜力。我们还讨论了基于靶向 HSPs 的新兴抗 CRC 策略。
