Methylation Dynamics of and Its Impact on Cancer.

5-methyl cytosine (5mC) is a key epigenetic mark entwined with gene expression and the specification of cellular phenotypes. Its distribution around gene promoters sets a barrier for transcriptional enhancers or inhibitor proteins binding to their target sequences. As a result, an additional level of regulation is added to the signals that organize the access to the chromatin and its structural components. The tumor suppressor gene is a microtubule-associated and multitasking scaffold protein communicating with the RAS pathway, estrogen receptor signaling, and Hippo pathway. action stimulates mitotic arrest, DNA repair and apoptosis, and controls the cell cycle and cell migration. De novo methylation of the promoter has received much attention due to its increased frequency in most cancer types. methylation is preceded by histones modifications and could represent an early molecular event in cell transformation. Accordingly, methylation is proposed as an epigenetic candidate marker in many cancer types, even though an inverse correlation of methylation and expression remains to be fully ascertained. Some findings indicate that the epigenetic abrogation of can promote the alternative expression of the putative oncogenic isoform . Understanding the complexity and significance of methylation is instrumental for a more accurate determination of its biological and clinical role. The review covers the molecular events implicated in methylation and gene silencing and provides a deeper view into the significance of the methylation patterns in a number of gastrointestinal cancer types.