Viral manipulation of the host epigenome for oncogenic transformation.
The cancerous cellular state is associated with multiple epigenetic alterations, but elucidating the precise order of such alterations during tumorigenic progression and their contributions to the transformed phenotype remains a significant challenge in cancer biology. Here we discuss recent findings on how viral oncoproteins exploit specific epigenetic processes to coerce normal cells to replicate when they should remain quiescent - a hallmark of cancer. These findings may highlight roles of epigenetic processes in normal biology and shed light on epigenetic events occurring along the path of non-viral neoplastic transformation.
Ferrari
Roberto
R
Department of Biological Chemistry, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA.
Berk
Arnold J
AJ
Kurdistani
Siavash K
SK
D000818:Animals; D002472:Cell Transformation, Viral / Q000235:genetics*; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D016678:Genome; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009856:Oncogene Proteins, Viral / Q000378:metabolism*
D009856:Oncogene Proteins, Viral