Research frontiers This is the first report about the role of Recql5, a DNA helicase that plays an important role in the maintenance of genome integrity, Imatinib side effects in suppressing tumorigenesis in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract in mice. Innovations and breakthroughs In this article, the authors reported that Recql5 has a role in suppressing tumorigenesis in the GI tract in mice. Since mouse Recql5 and its human homologue (RECQL5) are highly conserved, these new findings have implicated RECQL5 as a suppressor for colorectal cancer in humans. Thus, RECQL5 may be used as a biomarker for this disease. Moreover, they have recently shown that mutations in Recql5 resulted in a significantly enhanced sensitivity to anticancer drug camptothecin, the prototype of irinotecan that is currently used to treat colorectal cancer patients.
Thus, the expression of RECQL5 could be used as a criterion for selecting patients for irinotecan-based chemotherapies. Applications No direct application may be derived based on the findings from this study. However, these findings should justify further investigation of the potential role of RECQL5 mutations in human GI cancers and the potential use of RECQL5 as a colorectal cancer biomarker or drug target. Peer review This is a well conceived, concisely written article, which certainly deserves publication. Acknowledgments We are grateful to Dr. Hua Lou for his comments on the manuscript and to Ellen L Barnes for her technical assistance in this work. Footnotes Supported by Grants RO1 CA88939, P20 CA103736 from the US National Institutes of Health and Searle Scholar Award 01-E-109 from the Searle Scholar Program Peer reviewers: Dr.
Inti Zlobec, PhD, Institute for Pathology, University Hospital Basel, Schoenbeinstrasse 40, Basel, CH-4031, Switzerland; Nathalie Wong, PhD, BSc (Hons), Professor, Department of Anatomical and Cellular Pathology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin NT, Hong Kong, China; Ralph Graeser, PhD, Group Leader, Molecular & Cellular Biology, ProQinase GmbH, Breisacher Str. 117, Freiburg, 79106, Germany S- Editor Tian L L- Editor Logan S E- Editor Zheng XM
Now, more than ever, clinical oncologists are struggling to optimize treatment in cancer patients. With the use of molecular targeted agents and the incorporation of pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics in basic cancer treatment, a meaningful relationship between genotype (polymorphisms and mutations), gene expression profiles (level of gene expression of all or of target genes in the genome) and phenotype is being established, aimed at interpreting the variability among individuals in terms of response, Brefeldin_A resistance and toxicity to different drugs[1,2]. Pharmacogenetics (e.g.