Epigenetic Modifications: Therapeutic Potential in Cancer

Epigenetic modifications and alterations in chromatin structure and function contribute to the cumulative changes observed as normal cells undergo malignant transformation. These modifications and enzymes (DNA methyltransferases, histone deacetylases, histone methyltransferases, and demethylases) re...

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Détails bibliographiques
Auteurs principaux: Manisha Sachan, Manpreet Kaur
Format: Article
Langue:English
Publié: Instituto de Tecnologia do Paraná (Tecpar) 2015-08-01
Collection:Brazilian Archives of Biology and Technology
Sujets:
Accès en ligne:http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1516-89132015000400526&lng=en&tlng=en
Description
Résumé:Epigenetic modifications and alterations in chromatin structure and function contribute to the cumulative changes observed as normal cells undergo malignant transformation. These modifications and enzymes (DNA methyltransferases, histone deacetylases, histone methyltransferases, and demethylases) related to them have been deeply studied to develop new drugs, epigenome-targeted therapies and new diagnostic tools. Epigenetic modifiers aim to restore normal epigenetic modification patterns through the inhibition of epigenetic modifier enzymes. Four of them (azacitidine, decitabine, vorinostat and romidepsin) are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This article provides an overview about the known functional roles of epigenetic enzymes in cancer development.
ISSN:1678-4324