DNA methylation of cancer genome.
DNA methylation plays an important role in regulating normal development and carcinogenesis. Current understanding of the biological roles of DNA methylation is limited to its role in the regulation of gene transcription, genomic imprinting, genomic stability, and X chromosome inactivation. In the past 2 decades, a large number of changes have been identified in cancer epigenomes when compared with normals. These alterations fall into two main categories, namely, hypermethylation of tumor suppressor genes and hypomethylation of oncogenes or heterochromatin, respectively. Aberrant methylation of genes controlling the cell cycle, proliferation, apoptosis, metastasis, drug resistance, and intracellular signaling has been identified in multiple cancer types. Recent advancements in whole-genome analysis of methylome have yielded numerous differentially methylated regions, the functions of which are largely unknown. With the development of high resolution tiling microarrays and high throughput DNA sequencing, more cancer methylomes will be profiled, facilitating the identification of new candidate genes or ncRNAs that are related to oncogenesis, new prognostic markers, and the discovery of new target genes for cancer therapy.
Cheung
Hoi-Hung
HH
Section on Developmental Genomics, Laboratory of Clinical Genomics, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
Lee
Tin-Lap
TL
Rennert
Owen M
OM
Chan
Wai-Yee
WY
D000818:Animals; D047369:Chromatin Immunoprecipitation / Q000379:methods; D019175:DNA Methylation / Q000235:genetics*; D047108:Embryonic Development / Q000235:genetics; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D005260:Female; D016147:Genes, Tumor Suppressor; D016678:Genome; D042822:Genomic Instability; D023281:Genomics / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis / Q000379:methods; D009857:Oncogenes; D011247:Pregnancy; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics; D022661:RNA, Untranslated / Q000235:genetics; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid
D012334:RNA, Neoplasm; D022661:RNA, Untranslated