Orphan Nuclear Receptors in Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide, with an overall increased incidence annually. Despite improvements in treatment and surveillance, almost 50% develop recurrent and/or distant disease. Unknown cellular processes are the fundamental cause for treatment failure and metastatic disease. The interplay of chronic inflammation and carcinogenesis is well established. Recent work has highlighted the role of nuclear receptors and co-regulators in the inflammation to carcinogenesis process. Orphan nuclear receptors have been shown to be involved in numerous cellular processes, including both at a transcriptional and a non-genomic level. There is a significant emphasis to identify ligands that will interact and modify these nuclear receptors, with the long-term aim of developing novel pharmaceutical therapies. The identification of orphan nuclear receptor ligands will also help increase our current understanding of their role in cellular signaling, by enabling manipulation of these receptors. This review aims to provide a brief overview of some key orphan nuclear receptors which may be involved in colorectal cancer.