Epigenetics and its application to cancer treatment

Composition II

Rachel Williamson

Stephanie Valeria Lopez Gutierrez

May 2, 2021
Abstract: Using epigenetics to improve the ability to treat diseases. How this technology

improves our understanding of DNA, histone, and non-coding RNA modifications can help

identify early mutations that may lead to mutations, and thus identify mutations. Epigenetics

can be used to determine the type of cancer a person has, or it can help detect cancers that are

difficult and early to detect. Epigenetics alone cannot diagnose cancer, and additional

screening tests must be used to confirm cancer.

Introduction

The term epigenetics have been talk through this new technology era, but what does

“epigenetics” really means? Start with the etymology meaning, Epi- means on or above in

greek, genetics is a term a lot more used so the term epigenetics etymologically speaking

really means “above the origin” but a long the way many people have been given their own

meaning about what is epigenetics, some describe it as “the study of heritable changes in

gene function that do not involve changes in DNA sequence” (Merriam-Webster. In

Merriam-Webster.com dictionary 2021), “Epigenetics is an emerging field of science that

studies heritable changes caused by the activation and deactivation of genes without any

change in the underlying DNA sequence of the organism.” (National Human Genome

Research Institute, Epigenetics 2021) and so many more. But aside this all definitions what

does epigenetics do?, How it works? And how can it be used for the people’s advantage?

The sequence of a single gene cannot represent the complete gene expression or cell function.

Epigenetic mechanisms can affect gene activity without changing the DNA sequence. DNA

methylation is a stable genetic covalent modification of DNA, which mainly occurs in CpG

dinucleotides (cytosine and guanine link), but also exists in non-CpG sites. Methylation is

related to changes observed in normal development, carcinogenesis, and other pathological

processes (such as suppression of tumor suppressor genes or DNA repair genes).

Troublesome problem, which increases the demand for robust and reliable solutions for low-

input samples. The QIAGEN Sample to Insight solution for epigenetics applications

addresses these challenges by providing reliable data and actionable insights.

Literature review

The basic meaning of the term "epigenetics" is "except for changes in genetic sequence".

Therefore, this is a term used by humans to refer to the process of changing or altering

genetic activity without actually changing the DNA sequence. It can be defined as the study

of genetic changes in a certain phenomenon (active and inactive genes), which has nothing

to do with changes in the basic DNA sequence, and can change the phenotype without

changing the genotype, regardless of continuing to affect cell reading How is the genetic

Epigenetic changes continue to occur every day and occur naturally, but they may even be

affected by various factors such as age, environment/lifestyle, and disease status. Usually,

these modifications can be manifested due to the pattern of cells that eventually

differentiate into whole skin cells, liver cells, brain cells, etc. Or this change may be more

devastating and may lead to diseases such as cancer. At least three systems include DNA

methylation, histone modification and non-coding. It is currently believed that RNA-related

gene silencing (ncRNA) triggers and maintains epigenetic changes. New and ongoing

research continues to discover the role of epigenetics in over-intelligent human diseases and

fatal diseases. All this makes people wonder how it should be. Do you like it or are you

considering it? No matter what he does, should he get this disease?Does it happen no matter

how I drive? Well, this is not entirely true, for example, the most common case of twins,

the same genetic code, but different environments, personalities, everything is different.

This is called nature and care. Nature is responsible for everything related to genes and

genetic factors, such as appearance and personality, while parenting is responsible for all

environmental variables, such as childhood experiences, social relationships, memories,

feelings, etc. D. Wait for the genetic code, but everything else is different. What do people

think about it? How does epigenetics participate in these changes? The purpose of this
overview is to understand how epigenetics can be applied in vivo. Extinct and rebuilt

without preparation. In any case, this is not entirely obvious.When genetic data is passed

from one age to another, some epigenetic marks will remain in place. This cycle is called

epigenetics. This means that future encounters between parents can be transferred to people

as epigenetic markers. Although it may be unpredictable, there is little uncertainty about the

authenticity of the epigenetic heritage. In fact, it cleared some strange examples of

geneticists' legacy. Many types of epigenetic processes have been identified, such as

methylation, acetylation, phosphorylation, ubiquitination, and SUMOylation. As research

progresses, other epigenetic mechanisms and processes will emerge. Epigenetic processes

are natural, more common, and important to many organisms. They can work normally, but

if used improperly, there are health risks. DNA methylation is currently one of the most

widely studied and well-characterized epigenetic modifications. It can be traced back to a

study in 1969, which showed that DNA methylation is also important for future memory

function. Remodeling, histone modification and non-coding RNA mechanisms.The surge in

interest in epigenetics has led to an increasing number of studies and discoveries about the

relationship between epigenetic changes and a variety of diseases, including various types

of cancer, immune diseases, neuropsychiatric diseases, and childhood diseases. More and

more researches focus on cancer treatment. Many people around the world agree that

through this new technology, we can find increasingly effective ways to treat cancer or

other genetic changes. Epigenetic changes in the enhancement and progression of

malignant tumors may be the cause. Therefore, this review focuses on the development

field of pharmacogenomics (epi) genomics, which clearly illustrates the epigenetic

reconstruction in the process of tumorigenesis and how epigenetic markers can be used for

treatment (epidemic drugs) and treatments The clinical significance of the disease.
Describes defects in chromatin modifiers or modeling agents. In addition, epigenetic

markers (DNA methylation, histone changes, chromatin and microRNA reconstruction) can

be considered as possible markers for improving and moving malignant tumors.

Discussion section

Epigenetics is a term used by humans to refer to the process of changing or altering genetic

activity without actually changing the DNA sequence. This can be determined by studying

genetic changes that are not related to genetic phenomena and that are not related to these

phenomena. ...This is due to changes in the basic DNA sequence, but the phenotype has

changed, but the genotype has not changed, which always affects the way the cell reads

genes. These changes can be reflected in the traditional plan, in which the cells finally

differentiate and finally take shape. Otherwise, this change may bring more devastating

consequences and lead to diseases such as cancer. At least three systems currently believed

to be related to RNA silencing, including DNA methylation, histone modification and non-

coding genes, initiate and maintain epigenetic changes. This cycle is based on the transfer

of genetic data from one period to another, and is called epigenetic. Acia is a strange

discovery. It only resists the possibility of inheritance through the DNA code passed from

parent to child. This means that the encounter between parents and children (such as the

epigenetic characteristics of B) is directly passed on to people in the European Union. Can

continue to pass on. future. Epigenetics is not limited to inheritance cases. More and more

people are thinking about the connection between life changes and disease development.

For example, identical twins exhibit a high degree of epigenetic similarity at the age of

three, but not at the age of 50. The methylation of twins can increase 2.5 times. Although

twins are genetically the same, they are more diverse epigenetically. In addition, twins have
different life paths, not only because of the environment they encounter, but also because of

the imprecise transmission of methyl patterns during each cell division. Changes that

gradually accumulate in the course of life. Changes in the diet of worker bees lead to a high

degree of epigenetic reprogramming of the larval genome. More than 500 genes affected by

changes in environmental methylation have been identified.Gene activation or inactivation

is not the only result of dietary changes, gene product changes, and alternative splicing.

Conclusions about changes in epigenetics (especially popular science) have always been

similar to Lamarckism. The transfer of acquired traits contradicts classical genetics. There

is little evidence that acquired skills and acquired skills can be transmitted through germ

cells. The transfer of acquired skills to the next generation has not yet demonstrated genetic

skills. In addition, in the Swedish town of Overkalix, the term "power generation" is often

mistaken for the beginning of food supply and mortality. It has been found that as

grandparents get older, most people whose grandparents change their eating habits will

suffer from severe cardiovascular disease.

As scientists learn more about the epigenetic changes in cancer cells, they are trying to

develop therapies that can reverse cancer cells. One of the best parts of these therapies is

that, unlike chemotherapy and radiation therapy, they do not destroy cells, but only regulate

cells. Scientists mainly study drugs called DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) inhibitors and

histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors. Some cancer treatments currently available are not

suitable for the treatment of solid tumors. DNA methylation determines the activity of

genes. In cancer, tumor suppressor genes are usually highly methylated. Prescription

methyltransferase inhibitors (DNMT): Gene activation, including tumor suppressor genes;

doctors use them to treat diseases such as myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid

leukemia. These drugs prevent the enzymes that cause methylation from turning off other
parts of DNA. Unfortunately, these drugs usually break down quickly in less than an

hour.They reduce the effectiveness of the immune system and damage its DNA. Zebularin

is an exciting new drug that researchers are studying because it is safer, more stable, and

more effective. Its mechanism of action is similar to that of currently available DNMT

inhibitors. It affects cancer cell genes that need to be reactivated. Histone is a protein that

organizes DNA into chromosomes. Changes in epigenetic histone factors make DNA

clearly distinguishable. Make DNA readable and increase gene activity. Difficult to define

and close. A large amount of histone deacetylation activity occurs in various types of

cancer cells. Scientists believe that this is due to genetic mutations and inhibition of DNA

repair. Sometimes doctors need to use different cancer treatments at the same

time.Epigenetics drugs seem to work well with radiation. This allows cancer cells to

respond better to these treatments, making them more effective, and more likely to prevent

cancer recurrence. You are also taking more than one epigenetic drug at the same time.

These methylation genes in glioblastoma brain tumors can make cancer cells more sensitive

to treatment with temozolomide (temodar). (Martin, How epigenetics impacts cancer

treatment 2020)
Conclusion
References

Martin, L. (2020, September 21). How epigenetics impacts cancer treatment. Retrieved
May 03, 2021, from https://www.webmd.com/cancer/cancer-treatment-epigenetics