title: Epigenetics of thyroid cancer and novel therapeutic targets.
abstract: An increasing body of evidence suggests that epigenetic changes (DNA methylation, remodeling and post-translational modification of chromatin) play important roles in thyroid tumorigenesis, as a result of their effects on tumor-cell differentiation and proliferation. Epigenetic silencing of various thyroid-specific genes has been detected in thyroid tumors. These changes can diminish the tumor's ability to concentrate radioiodine, which dramatically reduces treatment options. Epigenetic changes in tumor-promoting and tumor-suppressor genes also contribute to the dysregulation of thyrocyte growth and other aspects of tumorigenesis, such as apoptosis, motility and invasiveness. We provide a brief overview of the mechanisms underlying epigenetic regulation of gene expression and the current methods used to investigate it. This is followed by a review of the principal epigenetic alterations detected in thyroid cancer cells, epigenetic strategies for treating thyroid cancers and data from preclinical and clinical studies (some still underway) on the use in this setting of demethylating agents and histone deacetylase inhibitors.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacobiologiche, Università di Catanzaro, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy. d.russo@unicz.it
authors.forename: Diego
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Russo
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Damante
authors.forename: Efisio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Puxeddu
authors.forename: Cosimo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Durante
authors.forename: Sebastiano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Filetti
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics* / Q000628:therapy; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins