Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 30, 2026

Analysis of Human T Cell Activity in an Allogeneic Co-Culture Setting of Pre-Treated Tumor Cells
09:04

Analysis of Human T Cell Activity in an Allogeneic Co-Culture Setting of Pre-Treated Tumor Cells

Published on: March 7, 2025

Epigenetic targets for immune intervention in human malignancies

Michele Maio1, Sandra Coral, Elisabetta Fratta

  • 1Cancer Bioimmunotherapy Unit, Department of Medical Oncology, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico, Aviano 33081, Italy. mmaio@cro.it

Oncogene
|October 7, 2003
PubMed

Insights

Epigenetic changes in cancer can suppress immune recognition. Epigenetic drugs can restore this recognition, offering new avenues for combined cancer therapy.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Immunology
  • Epigenetics

Background:

  • Epigenetic alterations, including DNA methylation and histone acetylation, are implicated in cancer development.
  • These epigenetic changes can reduce the cancer cells' ability to be recognized by the immune system.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore how epigenetic modifications affect cancer cell immunogenicity.
  • To investigate the potential of epigenetic drugs in restoring anti-tumor immunity.

Main Methods:

  • Review of emerging evidence on epigenetic events in cancer.
  • Analysis of the impact of DNA methylation and histone deacetylation on tumor recognition complex components.
  • Evaluation of pharmacologic agents targeting epigenetic modifications.

Main Results:

  • Deregulated DNA methylation and histone acetylation impair cancer cell immunogenicity by downregulating key components of the tumor recognition complex.
  • Pharmacologic agents that modify DNA methylation and histone acetylation can restore the expression of these components.
  • Restored expression enhances cancer cell immunogenicity and immune recognition.

Conclusions:

  • Epigenetic drugs can reverse immunosuppressive epigenetic changes in cancer cells.
  • These drugs hold promise for developing novel chemoimmunotherapeutic strategies against cancer.

More Related Videos

A Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cell (PBMC) Engrafted Humanized Xenograft Model for Translational Immuno-oncology (I-O) Research08:17

A Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cell (PBMC) Engrafted Humanized Xenograft Model for Translational Immuno-oncology (I-O) Research

Published on: August 15, 2019

Related Concept Videos

Epigenetic Regulation01:37

Epigenetic Regulation

Epigenetic changes alter the physical structure of the DNA without changing the genetic sequence and often regulate whether genes are turned on or off. This regulation ensures that each cell produces only proteins necessary for its function. For example, proteins that promote bone growth are not produced in muscle cells. Epigenetic mechanisms play an essential role in healthy development. Conversely, precisely regulated epigenetic mechanisms are disrupted in diseases like cancer.
X-chromosome...
Epigenetic Regulation01:46

Epigenetic Regulation

Epigenetic mechanisms play an essential role in healthy development. Conversely, precisely regulated epigenetic mechanisms are disrupted in diseases like cancer.
Tumor Immunotherapy01:27

Tumor Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is a treatment that boosts or manipulates the immune system to fight diseases, including cancer. For instance, by stimulating an immune response through vaccinations against viruses that cause cancers, like hepatitis B virus and human papillomavirus, these diseases can be prevented. Nonetheless, some cancer cells can avoid the immune system due to their rapid mutation and division. The immune response to many cancers involves three phases: elimination, equilibrium, and escape.
Targeted Cancer Therapies02:57

Targeted Cancer Therapies

The targeted cancer therapies, also known as “molecular targeted therapies,” take advantage of the molecular and genetic differences between the cancer cells and the normal cells. It needs a thorough understanding of the cancer cells to develop drugs that can target specific molecular aspects that drive the growth, progression, and spread of cancer cells without affecting the growth and survival of other normal cells in the body.
There are several types of targeted therapies against specific...
The Tumor Microenvironment02:17

The Tumor Microenvironment

Every normal cell or tissue is embedded in a complex local environment called stroma, consisting of different cell types, a basal membrane, and blood vessels. As normal cells mutate and develop into cancer cells, their local environment also changes to allow cancer progression. The tumor microenvironment (TME) consists of a complex cellular matrix of stromal cells and the developing tumor. The cross-talk between cancer cells and surrounding stromal cells is critical to disrupt normal tissue...
Cytotoxic T Cells-mediated Immune Response01:27

Cytotoxic T Cells-mediated Immune Response

Cytotoxic T cells are a vital component of the immune system. They have the remarkable ability to identify and target antigens on infected or abnormal cells. These antigens often originate from intracellular pathogens such as viruses or abnormal proteins cancer cells produce.
Immunological surveillance is the ability of immune cells to monitor and eliminate infected cells with intracellular pathogens, neoplastically transformed cells, and cells with non-self antigens. Cytotoxic T cells and NK...