Targeting the epigenetic regulation of antitumour immunity

Abstract

Dysregulation of the epigenome drives aberrant transcriptional programmes that promote cancer onset and progression. Although defective gene regulation often affects oncogenic and tumour-suppressor networks, tumour immunogenicity and immune cells involved in antitumour responses may also be affected by epigenomic alterations. This could have important implications for the development and application of both epigenetic therapies and cancer immunotherapies, and combinations thereof. Here, we review the role of key aberrant epigenetic processes — DNA methylation and post-translational modification of histones — in tumour immunogenicity, as well as the effects of epigenetic modulation on antitum..