Obesity, the other pandemic: linking diet and carcinogenesis by epigenetic mechanisms.

Both obesity and cancer are complex medical conditions that are considered public health problems. The influence of obesity on the predisposition to develop various types of cancer has been observed in a wide variety of studies. Due to their importance as public health problems, and the close relationship between both conditions, it is important to be able to understand and associate them mechanistically. In this review article, we intend to go a little further, by finding relationships between lifestyle, which can lead a person to develop obesity, and how it influences at the cellular and molecular level, affecting gene expression to favor signaling pathways or transcriptional programs involved in cancer. We describe how products of metabolism and intermediate metabolism can affect chromatin structure, participating in the regulation (or dysregulation) of gene expression, and we show an analysis of genes that are responsive to diets high in sugar and fat, and how their epigenetic landscape is altered.

Sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPases genes differential expression in breast cancer cells.

INTRODUCTION: Sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPases (SERCA) enzymes are essential for intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis. SERCA genes (ATP2A1-3) encode for different functional isoforms of the protein, whose expression or function is altered in several types of cancer, such as gastric and oral, as well as colon, breast, lung, thyroid, liver, and prostate cancer, among others. However, the role played by SERCA pumps in carcinogenesis is unknown. METHODS: Techniques such as real-time polymerase chain reaction, optical microscopy, proliferation and cell death assays, as well as bioinformatic analyses were used. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the expression levels of the ATP2A2 and ATP2A3 genes in cell lines representative of different subtypes of breast cancer. RESULTS: The results show that the MDA-MB-231 cell line expresses lower mRNA levels for the ATP2A3 gene in comparison with MCF-7 cells. The use of the phytoestrogen resveratrol induces ATP2A3 expression, decreases proliferation, and induces apoptosis in both cell types. CONCLUSIONS: SERCA expression might function as a tool to differentiate breast cancer subtypes, which have different treatment requirements.

INTRODUCCIÓN: Las enzimas SERCA son esenciales para la homeostasis intracelular de Ca2+. Los genes SERCA (ATP2A1-3) codifican para distintas isoformas funcionales de la proteína, cuya expresión o función se encuentra alterada en diversos tipos de cáncer, como el gástrico y el oral, así como de colon, mama, pulmón, tiroides, hígado y próstata, entre otros. Sin embargo, se desconoce el papel de las bombas SERCA en la carcinogénesis. MÉTODOS: Se utilizaron estudios como reacción en cadena de la polimerasa en tiempo real, microscopia óptica, ensayos de proliferación y muerte celular, así como análisis bioinformáticos. OBJETIVOS: Evaluar los niveles de expresión de los genes ATP2A2 y ATP2A3 en líneas celulares que representan diferentes subtipos de cáncer de mama. RESULTADOS: La línea celular MDA-MB-231 expresa niveles más bajos del ARNm para el gen ATP2A3, en comparación con las células MCF-7. El uso del fitoestrógeno resveratrol induce la expresión de ATP2A3, disminuye la proliferación e induce apoptosis en ambos tipos de células. CONCLUSIONES: La expresión de SERCA puede funcionar como una herramienta para diferenciar los subtipos de cáncer de mama, los cuales tienen distintas necesidades de tratamiento.