表遗传学与肿瘤

Epigenetics and Tumor

表遗传学通过对核小体上D NA和组蛋白的结构修饰以及其后导致的染色质结构改变而对局部或整体的基因表达产生重要的调控作用.肿瘤分子生物学研究表明,表遗传学的紊乱与基因的变异一起参与了包括肿瘤细胞生长和分化、细胞周期的调控、D N A修复与重新表达、原癌基因的激活、肿瘤细胞的转移及肿瘤细胞逃避宿主免疫监视等肿瘤发生发展的整个过程.相对于基因变异而言,可逆的表遗传学调控为肿瘤的治疗提供一个全新的方向,而对其分子机制的研究为抗肿瘤药物的设计也提供了一个全新的靶点,从而对肿瘤的临床治疗具有重要的意义.

Epigenetic mechanisms act to change the accessibility of chromatin to transcriptional regulation locally and globally via modifications of the DNA and by modification or rearrangement of nucleosomes.Epigenetic gene regulation collaborates with genetic alterations in tumor development.This is evident from every aspect of tumor biology including cell growth and differentiation,cell cycle control,DNA repair,angiogenesis,migration,and evasion of host immunosurveillance.In contrast to genetic cancer causes,the p...