Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. In addition, the incidence and mortality rates of colorectal cancer are on the rise. Recently, metabolic genes have received increasing and specific attention due to their potential role in carcinogenesis.
Previous studies have shown that alterations in ribonucleotide reductase (RR) levels may significantly influence the biological properties of cells, including tumor promotion and tumor progression, suggesting that RR may be implicated in tumorigenesis. Recent findings have established that p53R2 suppresses the invasiveness of cancer cells, and its expression is associated with a better survival prognosis for CRC patients; however, the function of RRM2 in CRC is unclear. Here, we demonstrate that RRM2 may play an important role in the development of CRC and may contribute to the response to UV irradiation.
A research article to be published on September 14, 2012 in the World Journal of Gastroenterology addresses this question. The research team led by Prof. Lu from Shanghai Minimally Invasive Surgery Center (Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine) from China investigated the roles of the hRRM2 subunit in colorectal cancer and UV-induced DNA damage repair.