Harnessing lymphoma epigenetics to improve therapies

Affinity maturation and terminal differentiation of B cells via the germinal center reaction is a complex multistep process controlled by transcription factors that induce or suppress large dynamic transcriptional programs. This occurs via the recruitment of coactivator or corepressor complexes that epigenetically regulate gene expression by post-translationally modifying histones and/or remodeling chromatin structure. B-cell-intrinsic developmental programs both regulate and respond to interactions with other cells in the germinal center that provide survival and differentiation signals, such as T-follicular helper cells and follicular dendritic cells. Epigenetic and transcriptional programs that naturally occur during B-cell development are hijacked in B-cell lymphoma by genetic alterations that directly or indirectly change the function of transcription factors and/or chromatin-modifying genes. These in turn skew differentiation toward the tumor cell of origin and alter interactions between lymphoma B cells and other cells within the microenvironment. Understanding the mechanisms by which genetic alterations perturb epigenetic and transcriptional programs regulating B-cell development and immune interactions may identify opportunities to target these programs using epigenetic-modifying agents. Here, we discuss recently published studies centered on follicular lymphoma and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma within the context of prior knowledge, and we highlight how these insights have informed potential avenues for rational therapeutic interventions.