Epigenetic alterations

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... 

Epigenetic Alterations of the Dopaminergic System in Major Psychiatric Disorders... 

Morshead, C.M., Benveniste, P., Iscove, N.N., van der Kooy, D. (2002). Hematopoietic competence is a rare property of neural stem cells that may depend on genetic and epigenetic alterations. Nat Medicine, 8, 268-73. 

As described in the preceding chapter (Chapter 36), DNA is associated with proteins in nucleosomes, Gene expression can be altered by histone phosphorylation, acetylation, and methylation. Our understanding of epigenetic alterations and their relation to disease is rapidly developing. 

Evidence accumulated over an involvement of indirect causes to cancer due to epigenetic alterations such as hyper- or hypo-methylation and CpG-island promoter region silencing, together with not strictly DNA-related effects (e.g., altered oxygen metabolism, oxidative stress, cell membrane disruption, or even mitochondrial membrane permeability transition induction) [22,28,29],... 

---