Effects of 5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine (decitabine) on gene expression.

Effects of 5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine (decitabine) on gene expression. Drug Metab Rev. 2018 Feb 18;:1-15 Authors: Seelan RS, Mukhopadhyay P, Pisano MM, Greene RM Abstract 5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine (AzaD), also known as Decitabine, is a deoxycytidine analog that is typically used to activate methylated and silenced genes by promoter demethylation. However, a survey of the scientific literature indicates that promoter demethylation may not be the only (or, indeed, the major) mechanism by which AzaD affects gene expression. Regulation of gene expression by AzaD can occur in several ways, including some that are independent of DNA demethylation. Results from several studies indicate that the effect of AzaD on gene expression is highly context-dependent and can differ for the same gene under different environmental settings. This may, in part, be due to the nature of the silencing mechanism(s) involved - DNA methylation, repressive histone modifications, or a combination of both. The varied effects of AzaD on such context-dependent regulation of gene expression may underlie some of the diverse responses exhibited by patients undergoing AzaD therapy. In this review, we describe the salient properties of AzaD with particular emphasis on its diverse effects on gene expression, aspects that have barely been discussed in most reviews of this interesting drug. PMID: 29455551 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Drug Metabolism Reviews - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Tags: Drug Metab Rev Source Type: research