Emerging Interplay of Genetics and Epigenetics in Gliomas – A New Hope for Targeted Therapy

Diffusely infiltrating gliomas are inherently heterogeneous tumors and there are ongoing efforts to establish a classification scheme using molecular, rather than histological, features. In less than a decade, high-throughput sequencing of gliomas has transformed the field, uncovering several pivotal, highly prevalent genetic alterations that stratify patients into different prognostic and treatment-response categories. We highlight the genetic aberrations recently discovered in isocitrate dehydrogenase, alpha thalassemia/mental retardation syndrome X-linked, death-domain associated protein, histone H3.3, and telomerase reverse transcriptase and discuss how these mutations lead to unexpected changes in the epigenetic landscape in gliomas.
Source: Seminars in Pediatric Neurology - Category: Neurology Authors: Source Type: research