Chapters authored
DNA Hydroxymethylation in the Regulation of Gene Expression in Human Solid Cancer
Chromatin in cancer undergoes chemical and structural changes that alter gene expression patterns. One of the chemical modifications that impacts gene regulation is 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), also called DNA hydroxymethylation. 5hmC is a stable mark that is commonly associated with transcriptional activation. In cancer, the global loss of 5hmC is a hallmark. In addition, the deregulation of 5hmC in specific regions of the genome, such as enhancers, promoters, and body of the gene, alters the expression of genes in cancer. These alterations have been detected by the improvement in the mapping of 5hmC at genomic scale, which has allowed us to evaluate the sites where 5hmC alterations occur and the genes that are affected. In this chapter, the recent knowledge about the status of 5hmC in genome specific sites of human solid cancers, the relationship with enzymes ten-eleven translocation (TET) and isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) involved in the dynamic regulation of 5hmC levels, and the impact of the 5hmC aberrant changes on the genic expression in these malignances is reviewed.
Part of the book: DNA Methylation Mechanism