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The Cancer Epigenome: Exploiting Its Vulnerabilities for Immunotherapy
Helen Loo Yau1, Ilias Ettayebi1, Daniel D De Carvalho1
1Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada; Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
Trends in Cell Biology
|August 30, 2018
Summary
Cancer cells and immune cells undergo epigenetic reprogramming, creating vulnerabilities. Epigenetic therapy can exploit these changes to enhance cancer immunotherapy by reinvigorating T cells and increasing tumor immunogenicity.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Immunology
- Epigenetics
Background:
- Cancer progression involves broad epigenetic reprogramming in tumor cells and infiltrating immune cells.
- Tumor-infiltrating T cells often display an exhausted phenotype linked to aberrant DNA methylation.
- These epigenetic alterations in cancer and immune cells represent potential therapeutic vulnerabilities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the potential of epigenetic therapy in cancer treatment.
- To investigate how epigenetic reprogramming can be leveraged to enhance antitumor immunity.
- To examine the synergy between epigenetic therapies and immunotherapy.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of somatic epigenome reprogramming during cancer initiation and progression.
- Characterization of epigenetic changes in tumor-infiltrating immune cells, particularly T cells.
- Review of evidence supporting epigenetic therapy's role in modulating cancer cell gene expression and immune responses.
Main Results:
- Aberrant epigenomes in cancer cells and immune cells present a vulnerability.
- Epigenetic therapy can reactivate silenced genes in cancer cells.
- Epigenetic therapy shows potential to increase antitumor immunogenicity and reinvigorate exhausted T cells.
Conclusions:
- Epigenetic reprogramming in the tumor microenvironment offers therapeutic targets.
- Epigenetic therapies hold promise for enhancing cancer immunotherapy outcomes.
- Synergistic effects between epigenetic agents and immunotherapies warrant further investigation.
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