title: DNA methylation and histone modifications in breast cancer.
abstract: Breast cancer is caused by progressive genetic alterations and epigenetic changes that trigger tumor development. Among the epigenetic alterations descried in breast cancer, DNA promoter methylation has been extensively studied and observed in genes involved in several critical signaling pathways that initiate and promote breast tumorigenesis. In addition to DNA hypermethylation, global methylation levels have been observed to decrease with breast cancer progression. In close connection with DNA methylation changes, histone modifications, especially the acetylation and methylation of histone lysines, play an essential role in the nucleosomes remodeling and gene expression regulation in breast cancer.
authors.affiliation: Saba University School of Medicine, Saba Island and Georgetown University Medical School, Washington, DC, USA. rdumitre@jhsph.edu
authors.forename: Ramona G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Dumitrescu
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D019175:DNA Methylation; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D006657:Histones / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D009707:Nucleosomes / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D006657:Histones; D009707:Nucleosomes