Epigenetics in ovarian cancer: premise, properties, and perspectives.

Abstract

Malignant ovarian tumors bear the highest mortality rate among all gynecological cancers. Both late tumor diagnosis and tolerance to available chemical therapy increase patient mortality. Therefore, it is both urgent and important to identify biomarkers facilitating early identification and novel agents preventing recurrence. Accumulating evidence demonstrates that epigenetic aberrations (particularly histone modifications) are crucial in tumor initiation and development. Histone acetylation and methylation are respectively regulated by acetyltransferases-deacetylases and methyltransferases-demethylases, both of which are implicated in ovarian cancer pathogenesis. In this review, we summarize the most recent discoveries pertaining to ovarian cancer development arising from the imbalance of histone acetylation and methylation, and provide insight into novel therapeutic interventions for the treatment of ovarian carcinoma.

• Authors: Qilian Yang, Yuqing Yang, Nianxin Zhou, Kexin Tang, Wayne Bond Lau, Bonnie Lau, Wei Wang, Lian Xu, Zhengnan Yang, Shuang Huang, Xin Wang, Tao Yi, Xia Zhao, Yuquan Wei, Hongjing Wang, Linjie Zhao, Shengtao Zhou
• Journal: Molecular cancer (Mol Cancer) Vol. 17 Issue 1 Pg. 109 (07 31 2018) ISSN: 1476-4598 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 30064416 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, Review)

Chemical References

• Histones
• Histone Demethylases
• Histone Acetyltransferases
• Histone Deacetylases

Topics

• Acetylation
• Epigenesis, Genetic
• Female
• Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
• Histone Acetyltransferases (genetics, metabolism)
• Histone Deacetylases (genetics, metabolism)
• Histone Demethylases (genetics, metabolism)
• Histones (metabolism)
• Humans
• Methylation
• Ovarian Neoplasms (genetics, metabolism)