Epimutation and cancer: a new carcinogenic mechanism of Lynch syndrome (Review)

Banno,Kouji; Kisu,Iori; Yanokura,Megumi; Tsuji,Kosuke; Masuda,Kenta; Ueki,Arisa; Kobayashi,Yusuke; Yamagami,Wataru; Nomura,Hiroyuki; Tominaga,Eiichiro; Susumu,Nobuyuki; Aoki,Daisuke

doi:10.3892/ijo.2012.1528

Epimutation and cancer: a new carcinogenic mechanism of Lynch syndrome (Review)

Authors:
- Kouji Banno
- Iori Kisu
- Megumi Yanokura
- Kosuke Tsuji
- Kenta Masuda
- Arisa Ueki
- Yusuke Kobayashi
- Wataru Yamagami
- Hiroyuki Nomura
- Eiichiro Tominaga
- Nobuyuki Susumu
- Daisuke Aoki
View Affiliations

Affiliations: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan
Published online on: June 25, 2012 https://doi.org/10.3892/ijo.2012.1528
Pages: 793-797
Copyright: © Banno et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License [CC BY_NC 3.0].

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Abstract

Epimutation is defined as abnormal transcriptional repression of active genes and/or abnormal activation of usually repressed genes caused by errors in epigenetic gene repression. Epimutation arises in somatic cells and the germline, and constitutional epimutation may also occur. Epimutation is the first step of tumorigenesis and can be a direct cause of carcinogenesis. Cancers associated with epimutation include Lynch syndrome (hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer, HNPCC), chronic lymphocytic leukemia, breast cancer and ovarian cancer. Epimutation has been shown for many tumor suppressor genes, including RB, VHL, hMLH1, APC and BRCA1, in sporadic cancers. Methylation has recently been shown in DNA from normal tissues and peripheral blood in cases of sporadic colorectal cancer and many studies show constitutive epimutation in cancers. Epimutation of DNA mismatch repair (MMR) genes (BRCA1, hMLH1 and hMSH2) involved in development familial cancers has also been found. These results have led to a focus on epimutation as a novel oncogenic mechanism.

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