Yy1 Involvement in Embryonic Development and Cancer

Abstract

Despite numerous advances in the field of cancer cell biology, the origin of cancer cells and the systemic disruptions in the cancer process of normal cells have not yet been fully identified. However, we certainly know that cancer cells carry genetic and molecular similarities of the early embryonic development indicating an interesting relationship between “birth” and “death.” During the embryonic development process, the software of system codes to determine cell fate has been designed. Then, cells containing embryonic residues can be directed as a normal cell, cancer cell, or a stem cell. The transcription factor Yin Yang 1 (YY1) has been reported to play critical roles in many biological processes, such as the embryonic development, cell fate specification, regulation of pluripotency, and oncogenesis. In view of these activities, YY1 has been implicated in both the embryonic development and oncogenesis by acting as a bridge linking these two important biological processes. Therefore, in this review, we primarily focus on YY1 investigations linking the embryonic development, oncogenesis, and stem cell biology. © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.