Epigenetic Modulation in Gastrointestinal Cancers
Summary
Epigenetic alterations—heritable changes in gene function without modification of the DNA sequence—play a central role in the initiation, progression and therapeutic response of gastrointestinal malignancies. In cancers of the oesophagus, stomach, liver, pancreas and colorectum, aberrant DNA methylation silences tumour suppressor genes, while dysregulated histone modifications and chromatin‐remodelling complexes alter transcriptional programmes that control cell proliferation, apoptosis and metastasis. Non-coding RNAs, including microRNAs and long non-coding RNAs, further reshape the epigenetic landscape by recruiting modifying enzymes to specific genomic loci. Together, these layers of regulation contribute to tumour heterogeneity, influence the tumour microenvironment and mediate resistance to chemotherapy, targeted agents and immunotherapy. Advances in high-throughput sequencing and single-cell technologies have revealed the dynamic interplay between epigenetic marks and signalling pathways such as Wnt/β-catenin, Hedgehog and TGF-β, offering new avenues for biomarker development and epigenetic therapy in gastrointestinal oncology.
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Epigenetic Modulation in Gastrointestinal Cancers publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in epigenetic modulation in gastrointestinal cancers across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
DNA methylation: Addition of methyl groups to cytosine bases in CpG dinucleotides, often leading to transcriptional silencing of associated genes.
Histone acetylation: Attachment of acetyl groups to lysine residues on histone tails, generally promoting an open chromatin state and active transcription.
Chromatin remodelling: ATP-dependent repositioning or restructuring of nucleosomes that alters DNA accessibility for transcription factors and the transcriptional machinery.
Tumour microenvironment (TME): The complex milieu of stromal cells, immune infiltrates, extracellular matrix and signalling molecules surrounding tumour cells, which influences tumour behaviour and therapeutic response.
References
- Dissecting gastric cancer heterogeneity and exploring therapeutic strategies using bulk and single-cell transcriptomic analysis and experimental validation of tumor microenvironment and metabolic interplay. Frontiers in Pharmacology (2024).
- Epigenetic Regulation of the Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling Pathway in Cancer. Frontiers in Genetics (2021).
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