title: Just say no to ATOH: how HIC1 methylation might predispose medulloblastoma to lineage addiction.
abstract: Hypermethylated in cancer-1 (HIC1) is a tumor suppressor frequently targeted for promoter hypermethylation in medulloblastoma, an embryonal tumor of the cerebellum. Recently, we showed that HIC1 is a direct transcriptional repressor of ATOH1, a proneural transcription factor required for normal cerebellar development, as well as for medulloblastoma cell viability. Because demethylating agents can induce reexpression of silenced tumor suppressors, restoring HIC1 function may present an attractive therapeutic avenue in medulloblastoma by exploiting an apparent addiction to ATOH1.
authors.affiliation: The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Kimberly J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Briggs
authors.forename: Charles G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Eberhart
authors.forename: D Neil
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Watkins
mesh_terms: D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D019070:Cell Lineage; D002872:Chromosome Deletion; D002886:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 17; D019175:DNA Methylation; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D020868:Gene Silencing; D016147:Genes, Tumor Suppressor; D006801:Humans; D051741:Kruppel-Like Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D008527:Medulloblastoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D051741:Kruppel-Like Transcription Factors; C500942:ATOH1 protein, human; C499808:HIC1 protein, human