Regulation of the c-myc Oncogene by the Circadian Clock and Oncogenesis

The circadian clock is a conserved timekeeping mechanism that is involved in the regulation of daily oscillations of the various biological processes and behaviors of human beings. It is well established that aberrant clock gene expression is associated with increased risk of various diseases including cancer. Also, the clock genes contribute to carcinogenesis by altering the expression of tumor-associated proto-oncogenes and many other tumor suppressor genes. One example is the close association of the circadian clock with the proto-oncogene c-myc. c-myc is overexpressed in many cancers and is involved in the initiation of the oncogenic process. Herein, we report the various clock genes in the circadian clock and how each is involved in the regulation of c-myc expression. Targeting altered clock genes to inhibit the expression of c-myc may be a therapeutic approach for the prevention and treatment of various cancers.