title: Cancer type-specific epigenetic changes: gastric cancer.
abstract: Gastric cancer (GC) remains a major cause of mortality despite declining rate in the world. Epigenetic alterations contribute significantly to the development and progression of gastric tumors. Epigenetic refers to the number of modifications of the chromatin structure that affect gene expression without altering the primary sequence of DNA, and these changes lead to transcriptional activation or silencing of the gene. Over the years, the study of epigenetic processes has increased, and novel therapeutic approaches have emerged. This chapter summarizes the main epigenomic mechanisms described recently involved in gastric carcinogenesis, focusing on the roles that aberrant DNA methylation, histone modifications (histone acetylation and methylation), and miRNAs (oncogenic and tumor suppressor function of miRNA) play in the onset and progression of gastric tumors. Clinical implications of these epigenetic alterations in GC are also discussed.
authors.affiliation: Núcleo de Pesquisas em Oncologia, Universidade Federal do Pará, Rua dos Mundurucus, 4487, Guamá, CEP 66073-000 Belém, PA, Brazil, danicalcagno@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Danielle Queiroz
authors.initials: DQ
authors.lastname: Calcagno
authors.forename: Marília
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: de Arruda Cardoso Smith
authors.forename: Rommel Rodriguez
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Burbano
mesh_terms: D019175:DNA Methylation; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D057890:Epigenomics / Q000379:methods*; D006657:Histones / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D006657:Histones; D035683:MicroRNAs