Methylation anomalies in cancerogenesis: search for new genes, development of methods and DNA-markers for diagnosis

Abstract

The report considers the epigenetic defects and their diagnostics in tumors. Aberrant methylation of the promoter or regulatory region of a gene results in its functional inactivation, which is phenotypically similar to structural deletion. Cancerogenesis-associated genes are often methylated in tumors. Tumors differ in methylation frequencies, allowing differential diagnostics. Aberrant methylation of tumor suppressor genes occurs in early cancerogenesis, and its detection may be employed in presymptomatic and noninvasive diagnostics of tumors.