表观遗传学与肿瘤

Epigenetics in Tumor

表观遗传学是指研究基因表达或蛋白表达的改变不涉及DNA序列变化,但又可以通过细胞分裂和增殖而稳定遗传现象的遗传学分支领域。其研究对象是表观遗传修饰,目前认识到的表观遗传修饰主要包括DNA甲基化、组蛋白修饰和染色质重塑等。近年来,随着人们对表观遗传学认识的深入,尤其是DNA甲基转移酶抑制物、组蛋白乙酰化抑制剂等在治疗肿瘤患者的成功临床应用,表观遗传学逐渐成为肿瘤研究的热点。主要对DNA甲基化和组蛋白修饰两种表观遗传修饰的分子调控机制、与肿瘤发生的关系及其在肿瘤的表观遗传治疗中的研究进展作一综述。

As a branch of genetics,epigenetics is relative to the inheritable expression change of gene or protein,without altered gene sequence,its research objective is gene modification,including DNA methylation,histone acetylation,gene marker and so on.In the recent years,with the studying development,the application on curing tumor has been achieved success in DNA methyltransferase and histone acetyltransferases inhibitors.Here we reviewed the mechanisms of the above mentioned epigenetic modification,their roles in tumor initiation,and the progresses in tumors therapies.