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Review
. 2017 Sep 25:9:1179237X17729900.
doi: 10.1177/1179237X17729900. eCollection 2017.

Epigenetic Regulation of Gene Expression Induced by Butyrate in Colorectal Cancer: Involvement of MicroRNA

Karen S Bishop  1 , Huawen Xu  2 , Gareth Marlow  3
Affiliations
Review

Epigenetic Regulation of Gene Expression Induced by Butyrate in Colorectal Cancer: Involvement of MicroRNA

Karen S Bishop et al. Genet Epigenet. .

Abstract

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cause of cancer mortality globally. Development of CRC is closely associated with lifestyle, and diet may modulate risk. A Western-style diet is characterised by a high intake of red meat but low consumption of fruit, vegetables, and whole cereals. Such a diet is associated with CRC risks. It has been demonstrated that butyrate, produced by the fermentation of dietary plant fibre, can alter both genetic and epigenetic expressions. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that are commonly present in both normal and tumour cells. Aberrant miRNA expression is associated with CRC initiation, progression, and metastasis. In addition, butyrate can modulate cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, and miRNA expression in CRC. In this review, the effects of butyrate on modulating miRNA expression in CRC will be discussed. Furthermore, evidence on the effect of butyrate on CRC risk through reducing oncogenic miRNA expression will be presented.

Keywords: Butyrate; dietary fibre; gene expression; miRNA; microbiota.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of conflicting interests:The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
The effects of butyrate on colon cells. HDAC indicates histone deacetylase.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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