The Role of Histone Acetylation-/Methylation-Mediated Apoptotic Gene Regulation in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Epigenetics, an inheritable phenomenon, which influences the expression of gene without altering the DNA sequence, offers a new perspective on the pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is projected to account for a significant share of HCC incidence due...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Pradeep Kumar Rajan, Utibe-Abasi Udoh, Juan D. Sanabria, Moumita Banerjee, Gary Smith, Mathew Steven Schade, Jacqueline Sanabria, Komal Sodhi, Sandrine Pierre, Zijian Xie, Joseph I. Shapiro, Juan Sanabria
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-11-01
Series:International Journal of Molecular Sciences
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/21/23/8894
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Summary:Epigenetics, an inheritable phenomenon, which influences the expression of gene without altering the DNA sequence, offers a new perspective on the pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is projected to account for a significant share of HCC incidence due to the growing prevalence of various metabolic disorders. One of the major molecular mechanisms involved in epigenetic regulation, post-translational histone modification seems to coordinate various aspects of NASH which will further progress to HCC. Mounting evidence suggests that the orchestrated events of cellular and nuclear changes during apoptosis can be regulated by histone modifications. This review focuses on the current advances in the study of acetylation-/methylation-mediated histone modification in apoptosis and the implication of these epigenetic regulations in HCC. The reversibility of epigenetic alterations and the agents that can target these alterations offers novel therapeutic approaches and strategies for drug development. Further molecular mechanistic studies are required to enhance information governing these epigenetic modulators, which will facilitate the design of more effective diagnosis and treatment options.
ISSN:1661-6596
1422-0067