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Epigenetic Aspects of Chronic Diseases pp 41–53Cite as

Mechanisms of Epigenetic Gene Silencing

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Abstract

Epigenetic mechanisms are now recognized to play a crucial role in the regulation of fundamental cellular processes, and their dysregulation contributes to human diseases, most notably cancer. DNA sequences encode the primary information within the genome, but it is epigenetic modifications that provide a powerful and complex platform for accurate regulation of the genetic information and for integration of external signals. Epigenetics is therefore becoming a major field of interest to elucidate the molecular mechanisms that underlie fundamental cellular processes. At the same time, knowledge of epigenetics helps to understand the development and progression of malignancy. Human cancer has traditionally been considered primarily as a genetic disease, but recent evidence has made clear that epigenetic abnormalities play an important role in most, if not all, human malignancies; this understanding also adds further complexity to the concept of tumor development.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Epigenetics Group, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France

    Marie-Pierre Lambert

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  1. Marie-Pierre Lambert
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  2. Zdenko Herceg
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Correspondence to Marie-Pierre Lambert .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. , General Hospital, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO16 6YD, United Kingdom

    Helmtrud I. Roach

  2. Health Center, Dept. Pharmacology, University of Connecticut, Farmington Ave. 263, Farmington, 06030-6125, Connecticut, USA

    Felix Bronner

  3. Developmental Origins Health and Disease, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO16 6YD, United Kingdom

    Richard O.C. Oreffo

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© 2011 Springer London

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Lambert, MP., Herceg, Z. (2011). Mechanisms of Epigenetic Gene Silencing. In: Roach, H., Bronner, F., Oreffo, R. (eds) Epigenetic Aspects of Chronic Diseases. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-84882-644-1_3

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