Targeting DNA Hypomethylation in Malignancy by Epigenetic Therapies.
Adv Exp Med Biol
; 1164: 179-196, 2019.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-31576549
ABSTRACT
DNA methylation is a chemically reversible epigenetic modification that regulates the chromatin structure and gene expression, and thereby takes part in various cellular processes like embryogenesis, genomic imprinting, X-chromosome inactivation, and genome stability. Alterations in the normal methylation levels of DNA may contribute to the development of pathological conditions like cancer. Even though both hypo- and hypermethylation-mediated abnormalities are prevalent in the cancer genome, the field of cancer epigenetics has been more focused on targeting hypermethylation. As a result, DNA hypomethylation-mediated abnormalities remained relatively less explored, and currently, there are no approved drugs that can be clinically used to target hypomethylation. Understanding the precise role of DNA hypomethylation is not only crucial from a mechanistic point of view but also for the development of pharmacological agents that can reverse the hypomethylated state of the DNA. This chapter focuses on the causes and impact of DNA hypomethylation in the development of cancer and describes the possible ways to pharmacologically target it, especially by using a naturally occurring physiologic agent S-adenosylmethionine (SAM).
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Metilação de DNA
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Epigênese Genética
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Neoplasias
Limite:
Humans
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Adv Exp Med Biol
Ano de publicação:
2019
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Canadá