TY - JOUR
T1 - Epigenetic therapeutics
T2 - A new weapon in the war against cancer
AU - Ahuja, Nita
AU - Sharma, Anup R.
AU - Baylin, Stephen B.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 by Annual Reviews.
PY - 2016/1/14
Y1 - 2016/1/14
N2 - The past 15 years have seen an explosion of discoveries related to the cellular regulation of phenotypes through epigenetic mechanisms. This regulation provides a software that packages DNA, without changing the primary base sequence, to establish heritable patterns of gene expression. In cancer, many aspects of the epigenome, controlled by DNA methylation, chromatin, and nucleosome positioning, are altered as one means by which tumor cells maintain abnormal states of self-renewal at the expense of normal maturation. Epigenetic and genetic abnormalities thus collaborate in cancer initiation and progression, as exemplified by frequent mutations in genes encoding proteins that control the epigenome. There is growing emphasis on using epigenetic therapies to reprogram neoplastic cells toward a normal state. Many agents targeting epigenetic regulation are under development and entering clinical trials. This review highlights the promise that epigenetic therapy, often in combination with other therapies, will become a potent tool for cancer management over the next decade.
AB - The past 15 years have seen an explosion of discoveries related to the cellular regulation of phenotypes through epigenetic mechanisms. This regulation provides a software that packages DNA, without changing the primary base sequence, to establish heritable patterns of gene expression. In cancer, many aspects of the epigenome, controlled by DNA methylation, chromatin, and nucleosome positioning, are altered as one means by which tumor cells maintain abnormal states of self-renewal at the expense of normal maturation. Epigenetic and genetic abnormalities thus collaborate in cancer initiation and progression, as exemplified by frequent mutations in genes encoding proteins that control the epigenome. There is growing emphasis on using epigenetic therapies to reprogram neoplastic cells toward a normal state. Many agents targeting epigenetic regulation are under development and entering clinical trials. This review highlights the promise that epigenetic therapy, often in combination with other therapies, will become a potent tool for cancer management over the next decade.
KW - DNA methyltransferase inhibitor
KW - Epigenetics
KW - Histone deacetylase inhibitor therapy
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U2 - 10.1146/annurev-med-111314-035900
DO - 10.1146/annurev-med-111314-035900
M3 - Article
C2 - 26768237
AN - SCOPUS:84954493378
SN - 0066-4219
VL - 67
SP - 73
EP - 89
JO - Annual review of medicine
JF - Annual review of medicine
ER -