Transcription factors: their potential as targets for an individualized therapeutic approach to cancer

Pro-cancer signals are controlled by the expression and transcription of oncogenes. Transcription of DNA is dependent on the spatially and temporally coordinated interaction between transcriptional machinery ( RNA polymerase II, transcription factors (TFs)) and transcriptional regulatory components (promoter elements, enhancers, silencers and locus control regions). Unique TFs have been identified in association with cancer. This review summarizes key oncogene-related TFs and organizes their pro-cancer activity according to the six hallmark functions (self sufficiency in growth signals, insensitivity to growth-inhibitory signals, evasion of programmed cell death, limitless replicative potential, sustained angiogenesis and metastatic spread) proposed as constituting the infrastructure of the malignant process.