Journal article
Cancer epigenetics: From mechanism to therapy
MA Dawson, T Kouzarides
Cell | CELL PRESS | Published : 2012
Abstract
The epigenetic regulation of DNA-templated processes has been intensely studied over the last 15 years. DNA methylation, histone modification, nucleosome remodeling, and RNA-mediated targeting regulate many biological processes that are fundamental to the genesis of cancer. Here, we present the basic principles behind these epigenetic pathways and highlight the evidence suggesting that their misregulation can culminate in cancer. This information, along with the promising clinical and preclinical results seen with epigenetic drugs against chromatin regulators, signifies that it is time to embrace the central role of epigenetics in cancer. © 2012 Elsevier Inc.
Grants
Funding Acknowledgements
The scope of this review and its space limitations have unfortunately meant that we have not been able to separately cite many of the original publications that have contributed substantially to the field. We sincerely apologize to the authors of these publications. We would like to thank Drs. Andy Bannister and Brian Huntly for valued input and critical appraisal of the manuscript. We would also like to thank Dr. Peter Campbell for sharing data from the International Cancer Genome Consortium and Prof. Gerald Crabtree for helpful discussions. Mark Dawson is supported by a Wellcome-Beit Intermediate Clinical Fellowship, and the Kouzarides lab is funded by a program grant from Cancer Research UK (CRUK).