[Frontiers in Bioscience 16, 2682-2694, June 1, 2011]

Epigenetic regulation in cancer development

Elisa Caffarelli1, Patrizia Filetici1

1Istituto di Biologia e Patologia Molecolari, Laboratorio Acidi Nucleici, Sapienza Universita di Roma, P.le A.Moro 5, 00185 Roma-Italy

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Abstract
2. Introduction
2.1. A comprehensive definition of Epigenetic
3. Epigenetic and carcinogenesis
3.1. DNA Methylation
3.2. Chromatin signalling
3.3. Epigenetic effectors and histone PTMs
4. Altered epigenetic patterns in cancer
4.1. Global histone PTMs in cancer tissues
5. miRNAs take their place in the epigenetic world
6. Dysregulation of miRNA expression associated to carcinogenesis
6.1. Tumor suppressor and/or oncogenic miRNAs
6.2. miRNAs as tumor diagnostic tools
7. Epigenetic control of miRNA genes
8. miRNA control of epigenetic mechanisms
9. Summary and perspective
10. Acknowledgements
11. References

1. ABSTRACT

From an operational definition of epigenetic, we move to provide the reader a general but comprehensive description of epigenetic phenomena that often lead to cell transformation. The last decade has, in fact, seen novel players involved in the regulation of gene expression. Not only protein factors but also a number of chromatin modifiers and remodelling proteins, which regulate the level of compaction of the genome through a variety of post-translational modifications deposed on histone tails or on DNA itself. Meanwhile, the discovery of tiny RNAs, of only 21-23 nucleotides in length, has brought to the attention their role as key regulators in the cell, being able to direct differentiation programs and function as oncogenes or oncosuppressors. In this general compendium, we aim to describe main cellular functions that through an epigenetic or epigenetic associated mechanism have been found to be directly implicated in cancerogenesis.