Instituto Nacional de Cancerología, Subdirección de Investigación Básica, México City, México.
Oral Dis. 2011 Nov;17(8):771-8. doi: 10.1111/j.1601-0825.2011.01833.x. Epub 2011 Jul 22.
DNA methylation is an important regulator of gene transcription, and its role in carcinogenesis has been a topic of considerable interest in the last few years. Of the all epigenetic modifications, methylation, which represses transcription of the promoter region of tumor suppressor genes leading to gene silencing, has been most extensively studied. Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) has long been known to be the endpoint of many genetic changes, not only genomic mutations but also abnormal epigenetic modifications, as such, promoter methylation, contribute to development of this tumors. Recent studies have shown that promoter methylation of tumor suppressor genes is an important factor in carcinogenesis of OSCC. Some of the main genes that frequently showed promoter methylation in OSCC are those that participate in diverse processes such as regulation of the cell cycle, DNA repair, proliferation, and apoptosis. The aim of this review is to assess the current state of knowledge regarding promoter methylation of diverse genes in OSCC.
DNA 甲基化是基因转录的重要调节剂，其在癌症发生中的作用近年来引起了相当大的关注。在所有的表观遗传修饰中，甲基化抑制肿瘤抑制基因启动子区域的转录，导致基因沉默，这一修饰已被广泛研究。众所周知，口腔鳞状细胞癌 (OSCC) 是许多遗传变化的终点，不仅包括基因组突变，还包括异常的表观遗传修饰，因此，启动子甲基化有助于这些肿瘤的发展。最近的研究表明，肿瘤抑制基因的启动子甲基化是 OSCC 发生癌变的一个重要因素。在 OSCC 中经常发生启动子甲基化的一些主要基因是那些参与多种过程的基因，如细胞周期调控、DNA 修复、增殖和凋亡。本综述旨在评估目前关于 OSCC 中不同基因启动子甲基化的知识状况。
