Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2025 Jul;1880(3):189338.
doi: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2025.189338. Epub 2025 Apr 30.

CRISPR/Cas9-directed epigenetic editing in colorectal cancer

Manoj Kumar Gupta  1 , Gayatri Gouda  2 , Maryam Moazzam-Jazi  3 , Ramakrishna Vadde  4 , Ganji Purnachandra Nagaraju  5 , Bassel F El-Rayes  6
Affiliations
Review

CRISPR/Cas9-directed epigenetic editing in colorectal cancer

Manoj Kumar Gupta et al. Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer. 2025 Jul.

Abstract

Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a leading cause of cancer-related illness and death worldwide, arising from a complex interplay of genetic predisposition, environmental influences, and epigenetic dysregulation. Among these factors, epigenetic modifications-reversible and heritable changes in gene expression-serve as crucial regulators of CRC progression. Understanding these modifications is essential for identifying potential biomarkers for early diagnosis and developing targeted therapeutic strategies. Epigenetic drugs (epidrugs) such as DNA methyltransferase inhibitors (e.g., decitabine) and bromodomain inhibitors (e.g., JQ1) have shown promise in modulating aberrant epigenetic changes in CRC. However, challenges such as drug specificity, delivery, and safety concerns limit their clinical application. Advances in CRISPR-Cas9-based epigenetic editing offer a more precise approach to modifying specific epigenetic markers, presenting a potential breakthrough in CRC treatment. Despite its promise, CRISPR-based epigenome editing may result in unintended genetic modifications, necessitating stringent regulations and safety assessments. Beyond pharmacological interventions, lifestyle factors-including diet and gut microbiome composition-play a significant role in shaping the epigenetic landscape of CRC. Nutritional and microbiome-based interventions have shown potential in preventing CRC development by maintaining intestinal homeostasis and reducing tumor-promoting epigenetic changes. This review provides a comprehensive overview of epigenetic alterations in CRC, exploring their implications for diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. By integrating multi-omics approaches, single-cell technologies, and model organism studies, future research can enhance the specificity and efficacy of epigenetic-based therapies. Shortly, a combination of advanced gene-editing technologies, targeted epidrugs, and lifestyle interventions may pave the way for more effective and personalized CRC treatment strategies.

Keywords: CRISPR/Cas9; Colorectal cancer; DNA methylation; Epigenetics; Histone modification.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Ganji Purnachandra Nagaraju reports financial support was provided by The University of Alabama at Birmingham. Bassel F El-Rayes reports a relationship with The University of Alabama at Birmingham that includes:. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

References

LinkOut - more resources