Setting and resetting of epigenetic marks in malignant transformation and development.
Epigenetic modifications, such as DNA methylation and post-translation modifications of histones, have been shown to play an important role in chromatin structure, promoter activity, and cellular reprogramming. Large protein complexes, such as Polycomb and trithorax, often harbor multiple activities which affect histone tail modification. Nevertheless, the mechanisms underlying the deposition of these marks, their propagation during cell replication, and the alteration on their distribution during transformation still require further study. Here we review recent data on those processes in both normal and cancer cells, and we propose that the unscheduled expression of oncogenic transcription factors causes reprogramming of normal cells into cancer stem cells.
Richly
Holger
H
Centre de Regulació Genòmica (CRG), Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain.
Lange
Martin
M
Simboeck
Elisabeth
E
Di Croce
Luciano
L
D000818:Animals; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000235:genetics; D002843:Chromatin / Q000235:genetics; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D006657:Histones / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism
D002843:Chromatin; D006657:Histones