Epigenetic mechanism of carcinogenesis

Williams GM. 1981. Liver carcinogenesis The role for some chemicals of an epigenetic mechanisms of liver-tumor promotion involving modification of the cell membrane. Food Cosmet Toxicol 19(5) 577- 583. 

Barrett, J. C. (1987) Genetic and epigenetic mechanisms in carcinogenesis. In Mechanisms of Environmental Carcinogenesis Role of Genetic and Epigenetic Changes. Vol. I, pp. 1-15. J. C. Barrett, Ed. Boca Raton, CRC Press. 

In contrast to genotoxic carcinogens, epigenetic carcinogens act by a wide variety of mechanisms. Some of the possible epigenetic mechanisms of chemical carcinogenesis include peroxisome proliferation, inhibition of intercellular communication, microtubule alteration, hormonal imbalance, cytotoxicity, immunomodulation, inhibition of DNA methylation, etc. 

Chemically induced cell proliferation also may be a mechanism of epigenetic carcinogenesis. 

Chemical carcinogenesis may involve several mechanisms (i) interaction with DNA (ii) activation of cellular oncogenes (iii) DNA repair (iv) epigenetic mechanisms (v) cell proliferation. 

Weisburger, J. H., and Horn, C. A., 1982, Nutrition and cancer Mechanism of genotoxic and epigenetic carcinogens in nutritional carcinogenesis. Bull. N. Y. Acad. Med. 58 296. 

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