Chemical biology reprogramming epigenetic aberration in malignant brain tumors

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Almost all cancer cells have multiple epigenetic abnormalities, which combine with genetic changes to affect many cellular processes, including cell proliferation and apoptosis, by silencing tumor-suppressor genes. In this study, we focused on the epigenetic mechanisms of DNA hypomethylation and CpG island hypermethylation in gliomas. Aberrant hypermethylation in promoter CpG islands has been recognized as a key mechanism involved in the silencing of cancer-associated genes and occurs at genes with diverse functions related to tumorigenesis and tumor progression. Such promoter hypermethylation can modulate the sensitivity of glioblastomas to drugs and radiotherapy. As an example, the methylation of the MGMT promoter is a specific predictive biomarker of tumor responsiveness to chemotherapy with alkylating agents. Finally, we also evaluated the potential of NY-ESO-1, the most immunogenic cancer/testis antigen(CTA) discovered thus far, as an immunotherapy target. The use of potent epigenetics-based therapy for cancer cells might restore the abnormally regulated epigenomes to a more normal state through epigenetic reprogramming. Thus, epigenetic therapy may be a promising and potent treatment for human neoplasia.