Key roles of CCCTC-binding factor in cancer evolution and development

Abstract

The processes of cancer and embryonic development have a partially overlapping effect. Several transcription factor families, which are highly conserved in the evolutionary history of biology, play a key role in the development of cancer and are often responsible for the pivotal developmental processes such as cell survival, expansion, senescence, and differentiation. As an evolutionary conserved and ubiquitously expression protein, CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) has diverse regulatory functions, including gene regulation, imprinting, insulation, X chromosome inactivation, and the establishment of three-dimensional (3D) chromatin structure during human embryogenesis. In various cancers, CTCF is considered as a tumor suppressor gene and plays homeostatic roles in maintaining genome function and integrity. However, the mechanisms of CTCF in tumor development have not been fully elucidated. Here, this review will focus on the key roles of CTCF in cancer evolution and development (Cancer Evo-Dev) and embryogenesis.

Keywords

• ccctc-binding factor
• cancer evolution and development
• embryogenesis