Sanchita Bhatnagar
Epigenetic mechanisms are essential for
normal mammalian development and maintenance of gene expression
patterns. Disruption of epigenetic processes can lead to altered
transcriptional regulation, gene levels, and malignant cellular
transformation. Global alterations of the epigenetic landscape are a
hallmark of tumorigenesis and metastasis. Conventionally, cancer was
thought to be a genetic disease, but recent advancement in the field
identified an abundance of epigenetic abnormalities along with genetic
alterations. The extensive reprogramming of epigenetic machinery in
cancer includes DNA methylation, histone modifications, nucleosome
positioning and non-coding RNAs, specifically microRNA expression.
Additionally, the reversible nature of epigenetic aberrations has led
to the emergence of the promising field of epigenetic therapy, and
recent FDA approval of epigenetic drugs for cancer treatment.
This
book focuses on the epigenetic mechanisms in breast cancertherapy and
resistance. It is organized into three sections, including epigenetic
mechanisms in breast cancer, targeting epigenetic mechanisms for new
therapies, and new and emerging methodologies to study epigenetic
alterations in breast cancer. Chapters highlight various epigenetic
regulations that prevent breast cancer growth and progression, as well
as epigenetic alterations that contribute to breast cancer progression.
This text is a useful methodology book for researchers and students
interested in epigenetics in breast cancer and the fundamentals of
cancer biology.
