Chromatin and noncoding RNA-mediated mechanisms of gastric tumorigenesis

Experimental & Molecular Medicine, Published online: 19 January 2023; doi:10.1038/s12276-023-00926-0Detailed studies of epigenetic regulation in gastric cancer could provide novel targets for combination therapies. Gastric cancer development is heavily influenced by environmental factors such as diet, which drive epigenetic changes to DNA and gene expression. Tae-Hee Kim and colleagues at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada, reviewed current understanding of epigenetic regulation in gastric cancer, focusing on non-coding RNA and modifications to histones, proteins that bind to DNA. Histone modifications alter chromatin, the DNA and protein complexes that form chromosomes, and this directly influences gene expression. These modifications are reversible, involving specific ‘writer’ and ‘eraser’ proteins. In gastric cancer, dysregulation of writer and eraser proteins alters the expression of cancer-related genes, while non-coding RNAs regulate critical cancer-promoting pathways. Further investigations are needed into how non-coding RNAs and histone modifications interact.
Source: Experimental and Molecular Medicine - Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Source Type: research