Possible organ and age-related epigenetic factors in Huntington's disease and colorectal carcinoma.
It is hypothesized that the expression of Huntington's disease and the development of sporadic colorectal carcinomas may largely depend on age-related epigenetic defects in methylation pattern of DNA at the disease associated loci. In the former case the potential defects may be coupled with a DNA demethylation and activation in the brain of a silent growth factor-like gene that may induce an abnormal cell differentiation. In the development of colon carcinomas the age-related process may affect potential growth regulatory genes that may normally become demethylated and active in the colon as part of their differential expression. In such a state and possibly also due to their structure, they may be especially prone to the epigenetic defects that may lead in this case to gene point mutation and deletion.
Ferluga
J
J
Department of Veterinary Pathology and Public Health, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Australia.
D000375:Aging / Q000235:genetics*; D000818:Animals; D002872:Chromosome Deletion; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D005812:Genes, Switch; D006801:Humans; D006816:Huntington Disease / Q000235:genetics*; D008745:Methylation; D009154:Mutation