The Impact of Epigenetics on Cancer Research: Uncovering New Treatment Possibilities
- Alan Sun
- Sep 28, 2023
- 1 min read
The study of how environmental influences and human lifestyle affect patterns of gene expression is known as epigenetics. Epigenetic modifications are inherited somatically and are dynamic and reversible. Without altering the sequence of the genes, these modifications impact how they are expressed.
Through a variety of processes, such as DNA methylation, histone modification, and non-coding RNA, epigenetic modifications can "turn on" or "turn off" a gene.
For animals to develop normally and maintain tissue-specific gene expression patterns, epigenetic mechanisms are necessary. Mutations in gene function and cellular cancer can result from disruptions in epigenetic mechanisms.
One characteristic of cancer is the global alteration of the epigenetic landscape. It is now understood that epigenetic anomalies, in addition to genetic modifications, have a role in the initiation and course of cancer, a disease that was previously thought to be hereditary in nature. Advances in the fast developing field of epigenetics in cancer have demonstrated substantial reprogramming of all the components of the epigenetic machinery in cancer, including non-coding RNAs (microRNA expression), DNA methylation, histone modifications, and nucleosome placement.
Early cancer detection is a major step toward successful cancer treatments. Detecting abnormal changes in histones is an emerging approach for cancer diagnosis.
Given that many epigenetic alterations are linked to carcinogenesis, combined epigenetic therapies have demonstrated promising results in the treatment of cancer patients. To maximize these medicines' advantages, it is important to target specific genetic and epigenetic alterations linked to carcinogenesis in each patient.
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