Abstract
Epigenetic alterations are now well accepted as crucial changes in the development of cancer. Common epigenetic mechanisms affecting carcinogenesis ultimately phenotypically affect gene expression and genomic stability. This is effected through altered miRNAs, dysregulation of the histone code, changes in the chromatin structure and common changes in DNA methylation, again most commonly occurring at CpG dinucleotides, in specific gene regions and at well known DNA repeat regions. There is limited knowledge of the environmental or physiological factors that are associated with most of these somatic changes and epidemiologic investigation is poised to provide significant important information in human studies. In this presentation we will assess the types of epigenetic alterations amenable to epidemiologic investigation and discuss applications and interpretations of the data, including contrasting phenotypically driven candidate and discovery-based approaches, identifying appropriate cell types for different study designs and briefly touching upon the opportunities and limitations of various approaches.
Citation Information: Cancer Prev Res 2011;4(10 Suppl):ED03-02.
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