The tumor suppressor gene RIZ in cancer gene therapy (review).

In recent years, significant progress has been made in understanding the nature of the human genome and the role that genes and their related proteins play in both normal and diseased cells. It has been proven that many cancers are caused by the mutation of certain genes or lack of gene function. The introduction of those genes into cancer cells where gene function is compromised, can work to restore gene function and stop tumor progression. There have been numerous clinical trials, which have shown that gene therapy products are efficacious in humans. The RIZ1 gene is a member of a superfamily of histone/protein methyltransferases. The gene is commonly inactivated in human cancers. Gene knock-out study has established RIZ1 as a tumor susceptibility gene in mice. The gene has potent tumor suppressive activities in causing apoptosis, G2/M arrest, or both. Preclinical animal studies have shown that a recombinant adenovirus expressing the gene, AdRIZ1, can suppress the growth of colon cancer xenografts. Therefore, AdRIZ1 shows promise as a new generation of gene therapy products to enter the clinic.