Zebularine: a candidate for epigenetic cancer therapy.

For many years, the search for cancer therapy targets focused on the genetic changes associated with the transformation of normal cells into malignant cells. However, it is now clear that disruptions in epigenetic mechanisms--modifications of DNA or histones that heritably alter gene expression without mutating DNA--are important in cancer. Zebularine is a stable DNA cytosine methylation inhibitor that is currently in development as an epigenetic therapy for cancer.