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Zebrafish Discoveries in Cancer Epigenetics
Yelena Chernyavskaya1,2, Brandon Kent1,2,3, Kirsten C Sadler4,5,6,7
1Department of Developmental and Regenerative Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1020, 1 Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology
|May 12, 2016
Summary
Cancer epigenetics involves changes in DNA and histone modifications that drive cancer. Zebrafish models help identify epigenetic drivers, offering new insights into cancer reprogramming mechanisms.
Area of Science:
- Cancer Biology
- Epigenetics
- Genomics
Background:
- The cancer epigenome differs significantly from normal cells, but the origins and role in carcinogenesis are unclear.
- Current cancer genome atlases are uni-dimensional, lacking comprehensive epigenetic data.
- Understanding epigenetic reprogramming is crucial for a multi-dimensional view of cancer.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review principles of cancer epigenetics.
- To discuss the use of zebrafish as a model organism for studying cancer epigenetics.
- To identify epigenetic modifiers as cancer driver genes.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing zebrafish as a tractable in vivo system.
- Monitoring epigenetic changes during cellular transformation.
- Identifying epigenetic drivers of cancer.
Main Results:
- Epigenetic modifiers were established as cancer driver genes in zebrafish models.
- Novel insights into the mechanisms of epigenetic reprogramming in cancer were gained.
- Zebrafish facilitate in vivo monitoring of the epigenome during cancer development.
Conclusions:
- Zebrafish offer a powerful model for dissecting cancer epigenetics.
- Epigenetic changes are fundamental to cancer development and progression.
- Further research using zebrafish can elucidate epigenetic reprogramming in cancer.
