DMMC Course: EPIGENETICS: FROM MECHANISMS TO MEDICINES
1450-1540 Tuesday 26 June 2007. O’Reilly Hall, University College Dublin.
DNA
Methylation and Haematologic Malignancies
Prof Allen
S. Yang (Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center)
Aberrant
DNA methylation is a common finding in cancer, and is associated with the
malicious silencing of genes. We have determined the methylation profile of
three homogeneous cancers: chronic myelogenous leukemia, acute promyelocytic
leukemia, and gastrointestinal stromal tumors. Analysis of the DNA methylation
changes in these three cancers shows that DNA methylation changes correlate
with clinical features of the disease, and give insight into the biology of
aberrant DNA methylation in cancer. The importance of DNA methylation in cancers
of the blood is underscored by therapeutic use of drugs that inhibit DNA methylation.