Premium
Synthetic lethality in DNA repair network: A novel avenue in targeted cancer therapy and combination therapeutics
Author(s) -
Bhattacharjee Sonali,
Nandi Saikat
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
iubmb life
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.132
H-Index - 113
eISSN - 1521-6551
pISSN - 1521-6543
DOI - 10.1002/iub.1696
Subject(s) - synthetic lethality , homologous recombination , non homologous end joining , gene , biology , dna repair , cancer cell , cancer research , phenotype , cancer , homologous chromosome , dna , genetic enhancement , suppressor , genetics , computational biology
Abstract Synthetic lethality refers to a lethal phenotype that results from the simultaneous disruptions of two genes, while the disruption of either gene alone is viable. Many DNA double strand break repair (DSBR) genes have synthetic lethal relationships with oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes, which can be exploited for targeted cancer therapy, an approach referred to as combination therapy. DNA double‐strand breaks (DSBs) are one of the most toxic lesions to a cell and can be repaired by non‐homologous end joining (NHEJ) or homologous recombination (HR). HR and NHEJ genes are particularly attractive targets for cancer therapy because these genes have altered expression patterns in cancer cells when compared with normal cells and these genetic abnormalities can be targeted for selectively killing cancer cells. Here, we review recent advances in the development of small molecule inhibitors against HR and NHEJ genes to induce synthetic lethality and address the future directions and clinical relevance of this approach. © 2017 IUBMB Life, 69(12):929–937, 2017