What is the Role of Histone Modifications in Cancer?
In cancer, abnormal histone modifications can lead to the dysregulation of oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes. For instance, hypermethylation of histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27me3) is often associated with gene repression and has been implicated in the silencing of tumor suppressor genes. Conversely, hypoacetylation of histone H4 has been linked to the downregulation of genes involved in DNA repair, contributing to genomic instability.
