Epi-drugs and Epi-miRs: Moving beyond current cancer therapies.

Epi-drugs and Epi-miRs: Moving beyond current cancer therapies.
Curr Cancer Drug Targets. 2015 Dec 6;
Authors: Salarini R, Sahebkar A, Mirzaei HR, Jaafari MR, Riahi MM, Hadjati J, Asrami MO, Fdaee S, Salehi R, Mirzaei H
Abstract
Epigenetic modifications determine phenotypic characteristics in a reversible, stable and genotype-independent manner; Epigenetic modifications mainly encompass CpG island methylation and histone modifications, both being important in the pathogenesis of malignancies. The reversibility of epigenetic phenomenon provides a suitable therapeutic option that is reactivation of epigenetically silenced tumor-suppressor genes. Inhibition of DNA methyltransferase, histone deacetylase and Aurora B kinase, individually or collectively, could feasibly prevent or inverse the impact of epigenetic silencing. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are an important layer of epigenetic controlling of gene expression, and serve as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers as well as treatment targets for several types of cancer, The above-mentioned mechanisms are responsible for epigenetically silencing or activation of genes, tumor suppressor genes and miRNAs, and their modulation opens new horizons for the design of novel cancer therapeutic agents.
PMID: 26638884 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Source: Current Cancer Drug Targets - December 6, 2015 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Salarini R, Sahebkar A, Mirzaei HR, Jaafari MR, Riahi MM, Hadjati J, Asrami MO, Fdaee S, Salehi R, Mirzaei H Tags: Curr Cancer Drug Targets Source Type: research