Cell, epigenetic

Many anticancer agents currently in use, including chemotherapeutic drugs and radiation, are potent inducers of apoptosis and cell-cycle arrest. It is believed that induction of these molecular pathways is central to the efficacy of such agents [1]. Genetic and epigenetic alterations that contribute to tumorigenesis... 

In higher eukaiyotes, most of the chromosomal DNA carries 5-methyl-cytidine residues located in CpG sequence motives. There is a close correlation between transcriptional inactivation and methylation. On the other hand, considerable evidence shows that regions of DNA that are actively engaged in transcription lack 5-methyl-cytidine nucleotides in CpG motivs. Hence DNA methylation is a means how cells regulate gene expression. DNA methylation which is catalyzed by DNA methyltransferases is the best characterized epigenetic mechanism. 

An important aspect of the histone code theory is that some modifications can be passed on during cell division. As a result histone modification patterns including histone acetylation serve as a means to store inheritable traits of an organism which are not DNA encoded. This kind of information is generally termed epigenetic information. 

Mori T, Kim J, Yamano T, et al. Epigenetic up-regulation of C-C chemokine receptor 7 and C-X-C chemokine receptor 4 expression in melanoma cells. Cancer Res 2005 65 180-187. 

Suuronen, T, Nuutinen, T, Ryhanen, T, Kaamiranta, K, and Salminen, A, 2007. Epigenetic regulation of clusterin/apolipoprotein J expression in retinal pigment epithelial cells. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 357, 397—401. 

Sondheimer, N., and Lindquist, S. (2000). Rnql An epigenetic modifier of protein function in yeast. Mol. Cells 5, 163-172. 

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