The epigenetics of tumour initiation: cancer stem cells and their chromatin
- PMID: 26874045
- DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2016.01.003
The epigenetics of tumour initiation: cancer stem cells and their chromatin
Abstract
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been identified in various tumours and are defined by their potential to initiate tumours upon transplantation, self-renew and reconstitute tumour heterogeneity. Modifications of the epigenome can favour tumour initiation by affecting genome integrity, DNA repair and tumour cell plasticity. Importantly, an in-depth understanding of the epigenomic alterations underlying neoplastic transformation may open new avenues for chromatin-targeted cancer treatment, as these epigenetic changes could be inherently more amenable to inhibition and reversal than hard-wired genomic alterations. Here we discuss how CSC function is affected by chromatin state and epigenomic instability.
Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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