肝细胞癌表观遗传学改变和重编程

肝细胞癌是世界范围内常见的恶性肿瘤.研究表明,由遗传学和表观遗传学改变引起的细胞恶性改变是肿瘤发生的重要原因.近年来,人们发现表观遗传学异常在肿瘤的发生、发展过程中也起到非常重要的作用.表观遗传修饰主要包括组蛋白乙酰化和DNA甲基化,组蛋白乙酰化和DNA低甲基化可促进基因表达,反之,则可抑制基因表达.在肝细胞癌的发生发展过程中,抑癌基因的甲基化特别是高甲基化起着重要作用,与肝细胞癌的形成有密切关系.肝癌的表观遗传学研究对肝癌的早期诊断和病情预后的监测及其防治具有重要意义.

Epigenetic changes and reprogramming of hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide. In ad-dition to genetic alterations, epigenetic inactivation of (tumor suppressor) genes has been recognized as an important and alternative mechanism in tumorigenesis. In recent years, increasing evidence has shown that ep-igenetic silencing of those genes is essential to carcinogenesis and metastasis. Epigenetics include two main forms: histone acetylation and DNA methylation, histone acetylation and DNA hypomethylation can promote gene expression,otherwise, they will inhibit gene expression. It is important to the methylation especially the hypermethylation of the tumor suppressor gene during the hepatocarcinogencsis. The study of epigenetics will be proved valuable for early diagnosis and disease monitoring at hepatocell.