Calcagno DQ, Gigek CO, Chen ES, Burbano RR, Smith MAC. DNA and histone methylation in gastric carcinogenesis. World J Gastroenterol 2013; 19(8): 1182-1192 [PMID: 23482412 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v19.i8.1182]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Danielle Queiroz Calcagno, PhD, Division of Genetics, Department of Morphology and Genetics, Federal University of Sao Paulo, Rua Botucatu 740, Sao Paulo, SP 04023-900, Brazil. danicalcagno@gmail.com
Article-Type of This Article
Review
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Gastroenterol. Feb 28, 2013; 19(8): 1182-1192 Published online Feb 28, 2013. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v19.i8.1182
DNA and histone methylation in gastric carcinogenesis
Danielle Queiroz Calcagno, Carolina Oliveira Gigek, Elizabeth Suchi Chen, Rommel Rodriguez Burbano, Marília de Arruda Cardoso Smith
Danielle Queiroz Calcagno, Carolina Oliveira Gigek, Elizabeth Suchi Chen, Marília de Arruda Cardoso Smith, Department of Morphology and Genetics, Federal University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP 04023-900, Brazil
Rommel Rodriguez Burbano, Laboratory of Human Cytogenetics, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Pará, Belém, PA 66075-110, Brazil
Author contributions: Calcagno DQ, Gigek CO, Chen ES, Burbano RR and Smith MAC contributed to the review design and wrote the manuscript.
Supported by Sao Paulo State Research Foundation (FAPESP), No. 2009/07145-9 and 2010/11174-1; National Counsel of Technological and Scientific Development (CNPq); Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Level Personnel (CAPES)
Correspondence to: Danielle Queiroz Calcagno, PhD, Division of Genetics, Department of Morphology and Genetics, Federal University of Sao Paulo, Rua Botucatu 740, Sao Paulo, SP 04023-900, Brazil. danicalcagno@gmail.com
Telephone: +55-11-55764260 Fax: +55-11-55764264
Received: February 29, 2012 Revised: June 13, 2012 Accepted: June 28, 2012 Published online: February 28, 2013
Abstract
Epigenetic alterations contribute significantly to the development and progression of gastric cancer, one of the leading causes of cancer death worldwide. Epigenetics refers to the number of modifications of the chromatin structure that affect gene expression without altering the primary sequence of DNA, and these changes lead to transcriptional activation or silencing of the gene. Over the years, the study of epigenetic processes has increased, and novel therapeutic approaches that target DNA methylation and histone modifications have emerged. A greater understanding of epigenetics and the therapeutic potential of manipulating these processes is necessary for gastric cancer treatment. Here, we review recent research on the effects of aberrant DNA and histone methylation on the onset and progression of gastric tumors and the development of compounds that target enzymes that regulate the epigenome.
