Master regulator genes and their impact on major diseases

• Published in: PeerJ (San Francisco, CA) Vol. 8; p. e9952
• Main Authors: Cai, Wanwan, Zhou, Wanbang, Han, Zhe, Lei, Junrong, Zhuang, Jian, Zhu, Ping, Wu, Xiushan, Yuan, Wuzhou
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: San Diego PeerJ. Ltd 06.10.2020; PeerJ, Inc; PeerJ Inc
• Subjects: Adenosine; Breast cancer; Cardiovascular disease; Cell adhesion & migration; Cell cycle; Clinical Trials; Developmental biology; Gene expression; Genes; Genetic aspects; Kinases; Mammals; Master regulator genes; Medical Genetics; Molecular Biology; Nervous system; Nervous system disease; Nervous system diseases; Oncology; Proteins; Signal pathway; Stem cells; Transcription factors; Tumor diseases; Tumors; Type 2 diabetes
• ISSN: 2167-8359; 2167-8359
• DOI: 10.7717/peerj.9952

Master regulator genes (MRGs) have become a hot topic in recent decades. They not only affect the development of tissue and organ systems but also play a role in other signal pathways by regulating additional MRGs. Because a MRG can regulate the concurrent expression of several genes, its mutation often leads to major diseases. Moreover, the occurrence of many tumors and cardiovascular and nervous system diseases are closely related to MRG changes. With the development in omics technology, an increasing amount of investigations will be directed toward MRGs because their regulation involves all aspects of an organism’s development. This review focuses on the definition and classification of MRGs as well as their influence on disease regulation.