Instituto de Bioquímica Vegetal y Fotosíntesis, CSIC-Universidad de Sevilla, Seville, Spain.
Instituto de Bioquímica Vegetal y Fotosíntesis, CSIC-Universidad de Sevilla, Seville, Spain.
Trends Cell Biol. 2019 Apr;29(4):281-290. doi: 10.1016/j.tcb.2018.12.006. Epub 2019 Jan 16.
The integrity of the chromatin associated with telomeric regions, which include telomeres and subtelomeres, is essential for telomeres function and cell viability. Whereas human subtelomeres are heterochromatic, telomeres are labeled with euchromatic marks like H4K20me1 and H3K27ac in most commonly studied human cell lines. The epigenetic marks of human telomeric regions influence oncogenic processes. Indeed, different drugs that decrease their genome-wide levels are currently being used or tested in specific cancer therapies. These drugs can challenge cancer by altering the function of key cellular proteins. However, they should also compromise oncogenic processes by modifying the epigenetic landscape of telomeric regions. We believe that studies of telomeric chromatin structure and telomeres dysfunction should help to design epigenetic therapies for cancer treatment.
端粒相关染色质的完整性对于端粒功能和细胞活力至关重要，这些染色质包括端粒和端粒旁区。虽然人类端粒旁区是异染色质，但在大多数常用的人类细胞系中，端粒被标记为具有 euchromatic 特征的标记，如 H4K20me1 和 H3K27ac。人类端粒区的表观遗传标记影响致癌过程。事实上，目前正在特定的癌症治疗中使用或测试不同的药物来降低其全基因组水平。这些药物可以通过改变关键细胞蛋白的功能来挑战癌症。然而，它们也应该通过修饰端粒区域的表观遗传景观来损害致癌过程。我们相信，对端粒染色质结构和端粒功能障碍的研究将有助于设计用于癌症治疗的表观遗传疗法。
