Histone Chaperones and Digestive Cancer: A Review of the Literature

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Histone chaperones are responsible for histone metabolism. Recent investigations have revealed that the abnormal expression of several histone chaperones in digestive cancer is associated with the pathogenesis of digestive cancer. The purpose of this review is to determine the role of selected histone chaperones in the progression of digestive cancer and their prognostic significance. Selected histone chaperones are found to be associated with the proliferation, migration, chemosensitivity, and stemness of malignant cells, as well as a poor prognosis for patients with digestive cancer. In conclusion, this review confirms the significance of selected histone chaperones in the pathogenesis of the most common digestive cancer and highlights their potential as prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for digestive cancer. ABSTRACT: Background: The global burden of digestive cancer is expected to increase. Therefore, crucial for the prognosis of patients with these tumors is to identify early diagnostic markers or novel therapeutic targets. There is accumulating evidence connecting histone chaperones to the pathogenesis of digestive cancer. Histone chaperones are now broadly defined as a class of proteins that bind histones and regulate nucleosome assembly. Recent studies have demonstrated that multiple histone chaperones are aberrantly expressed and have distinct roles in digestive cancers. Objective: The purpose of this review is to present the current evidence regarding the role of histone chaperones in digestive cancer, particularly their mechanism in the development and progression of esophageal, gastric, liver, pancreatic, and colorectal cancers. In addition, the prognostic significance of particular histone chaperones in patients with digestive cancer is discussed. Methods: According to PRISMA guidelines, we searched the PubMed, Embase, and MEDLINE databases to identify studies on histone chaperones and digestive cancer from inception until June 2022. Results: A total of 104 studies involving 21 histone chaperones were retrieved. Conclusions: This review confirms the roles and mechanisms of selected histone chaperones in digestive cancer and suggests their significance as potential prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets. However, due to their non-specificity, more research on histone chaperones should be conducted in the future to elucidate novel strategies of histone chaperones for prognosis and treatment of digestive cancer.