Suffocating cancer: hypoxia-associated epimutations as targets for cancer therapy

Clinical Epigenetics

S Beck¹  HK Dibra¹  LKE Schulz¹  C Thirlwell¹ 

[1] Medical Genomics Laboratory, UCL Cancer Institute, 72, Huntley Street, WC1E 6BT, London

关键词: micro-RNA;    histone modification;    DNA methylation;    Hypoxia inducible factor (HIF);    Hypoxia;   

Others  :  791501
DOI  :  10.1186/1868-7083-3-9

 received in 2011-08-16, accepted in 2011-12-05,  发布年份 2011

【 摘 要 】

Lower than normal levels of oxygen (hypoxia) is a hallmark of all solid tumours rendering them frequently resistant to both radiotherapy and chemotherapy regimes. Furthermore, tumour hypoxia and activation of the hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) transcriptional pathway is associated with poorer prognosis. Driven by both genetic and epigenetic changes, cancer cells do not only survive but thrive in hypoxic conditions. Detailed knowledge of these changes and their functional consequences is of great clinical utility and is already helping to determine phenotypic plasticity, histological tumour grading and overall prognosis and survival stratification in several cancer types. As epigenetic changes - contrary to genetic changes - are potentially reversible, they may prove to be potent therapeutic targets to add to the cancer physicians' armorarium in the future.

Here, we review the therapeutic potential of epigenetic modifications (including DNA methylation, histone modifications and miRNAs) occurring in hypoxia with particular reference to cancer and tumourigenesis.

【 授权许可】

   
2011 Thirlwell et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

【 图 表 】

Figure 1.

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