[DNA methylation of prostate cancer and clinical application]

It is well-known that the interaction of both genetic and epigenetic mechanisms results in the formation of malignant tumor. Epigenetic mechanism includes DNA methylation, histone modifications, and miRNA regulation. DNA aberrant methylation (hypermethylation and hypomethylation), which leads to genomic instability and inappropriate gene expression, is the best-characterized alteration in prostate cancer. It plays an important role in the initiation and development of prostate cancer. Meanwhile, DNA methylation, as a hotspot in researches of epigenetics, would provide a new methodology and approach for early clinical diagnosis, prognosis and medication treatment of prostate cancer. According to recent studies on DNA hypermethylation and DNA hypomethylation, this review highlights the potential epigenetic mechanism of prostate cancer and discusses the latest research progress in clinical translation.