Tumor Epigenetics

Epigenetics and Tumor Suppressor Genes

Exploiting tumor epigenetics to improve oncolytic virotherapy

Oncolytic viruses (OVs) comprise a versatile and multi-mechanistic therapeutic platform in the growing arsenal of anticancer biologics. These replicating therapeutics find favorable conditions in the tumor niche, characterized among others by increased metabolism, reduced anti-tumor/antiviral immunity, and disorganized vasculature. Through a self-amplification that is dependent on multiple canc...

Epigenetics wins over genetics: induction of differentiation in tumor cells.

Malignant cells are genetically abnormal, but can the malignant phenotype revert to a non-malignant phenotype without correcting these genetic abnormalities? It has been found that this reversion can be achieved by reprogramming tumor cells by epigenetic changes induced by differentiation. The epigenetic suppression of malignancy by inducing differentiation bypasses the genetic abnormalities in...

Epigenetics of Phorbol Esters, a Tumor Promoter and Differentiation Inducer

Epigenetics is the study of structurally and functionally relevant molecular changes to the genome that do not constitute a change in the nucleotide sequence such as DNA methylation and histone modifications. These changes are involved in the expression and repression of different genes in a particular cell type. Phorbol esters are diterpene compound known as phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PM...

Epigenetics

By the time the reader reaches Chapter 20, which focuses specifically on cancer, the mechanisms and symptoms of cancer are relatively easy to understand. Chapter 20 covers topics such as the cellular phenotypes of cancer, genes linked to cancer, and cancer treatment. While the primary literature citations at the end of the chapter will provide good starting points for the curious student, a mor...