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Lehmann U. Epigenetic Therapies in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Concepts, Visions, and Challenges. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:2164. [PMID: 38927870 PMCID: PMC11202282 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16122164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2024] [Revised: 05/17/2024] [Accepted: 06/05/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer, the most frequent malignancy in women worldwide, is a molecularly and clinically very heterogeneous disease. Triple-negative breast cancer is defined by the absence of hormone receptor and growth factor receptor ERBB2/HER2 expression. It is characterized by a more aggressive course of disease and a shortage of effective therapeutic approaches. Hallmarks of cancer cells are not only genetic alterations, but also epigenetic aberrations. The most studied and best understood alterations are methylation of the DNA base cytosine and the covalent modification of histone proteins. The reversibility of these covalent modifications make them attractive targets for therapeutic intervention, as documented in numerous ongoing clinical trials. Epidrugs, targeting DNA methylation and histone modifications, might offer attractive new options in treating triple-negative breast cancer. Currently, the most promising options are combination therapies in which the epidrug increases the efficiency of immuncheckpoint inhibitors. This review focusses exclusively on DNA methylation and histone modifications. In reviewing the knowledge about epigenetic therapies in breast cancer, and especially triple-negative breast cancer, the focus is on explaining concepts and raising awareness of what is not yet known and what has to be clarified in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrich Lehmann
- Institute of Pathology, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1, D-30625 Hannover, Germany
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2
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Nanoparticle-Based Modification of the DNA Methylome: A Therapeutic Tool for Atherosclerosis? CARDIOGENETICS 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/cardiogenetics12010002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Cardiovascular epigenomics is a relatively young field of research, yet it is providing novel insights into gene regulation in the atherosclerotic arterial wall. That information is already pointing to new avenues for atherosclerosis (AS) prevention and therapy. In parallel, advances in nanoparticle (NP) technology allow effective targeting of drugs and bioactive molecules to the vascular wall. The partnership of NP technology and epigenetics in AS is just beginning and promises to produce novel exciting candidate treatments. Here, we briefly discuss the most relevant recent advances in the two fields. We focus on AS and DNA methylation, as the DNA methylome of that condition is better understood in comparison with the rest of the cardiovascular disease field. In particular, we review the most recent advances in NP-based delivery systems and their use for DNA methylome modification in inflammation. We also address the promises of DNA methyltransferase inhibitors for prevention and therapy. Furthermore, we emphasize the unique challenges in designing therapies that target the cardiovascular epigenome. Lastly, we touch the issue of human exposure to industrial NPs and its impact on the epigenome as a reminder of the undesired effects that any NP-based therapy must avoid to be apt for secondary prevention of AS.
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Linquist S, Fullerton B. Transposon dynamics and the epigenetic switch hypothesis. THEORETICAL MEDICINE AND BIOETHICS 2021; 42:137-154. [PMID: 34919173 PMCID: PMC8938347 DOI: 10.1007/s11017-021-09548-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/15/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The recent explosion of interest in epigenetics is often portrayed as the dawning of a scientific revolution that promises to transform biomedical science along with developmental and evolutionary biology. Much of this enthusiasm surrounds what we call the epigenetic switch hypothesis, which regards certain examples of epigenetic inheritance as an adaptive organismal response to environmental change. This interpretation overlooks an alternative explanation in terms of coevolutionary dynamics between parasitic transposons and the host genome. This raises a question about whether epigenetics researchers tend to overlook transposon dynamics more generally. To address this question, we surveyed a large sample of scientific publications on the topics of epigenetics and transposons over the past fifty years. We found that enthusiasm for epigenetics is often inversely related to interest in transposon dynamics across the four disciplines we examined. Most surprising was a declining interest in transposons within biomedical science and cellular and molecular biology over the past two decades. Also notable was a delayed and relatively muted enthusiasm for epigenetics within evolutionary biology. An analysis of scientific abstracts from the past twenty-five years further reveals systematic differences among disciplines in their uses of the term epigenetic, especially with respect to heritability commitments and functional interpretations. Taken together, these results paint a nuanced picture of the rise of epigenetics and the possible neglect of transposon dynamics, especially among biomedical scientists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Linquist
- Department of Philosophy, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada.
| | - Brady Fullerton
- Department of Philosophy, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
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Dubois M, Louvel S, Le Goff A, Guaspare C, Allard P. Epigenetics in the public sphere: interdisciplinary perspectives. ENVIRONMENTAL EPIGENETICS 2019; 5:dvz019. [PMID: 31660206 PMCID: PMC6812041 DOI: 10.1093/eep/dvz019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2019] [Revised: 09/02/2019] [Accepted: 09/18/2019] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Despite the high public interest in epigenetics, few scholars have empirically investigated the forms, reasons and consequences of the public circulation of epigenetics. Using an original database focusing on 'lifestyle' or 'everyday' epigenetics, this article aims to promote an open-minded and interdisciplinary dialogue between the public appropriation of epigenetics and the current scientific state of the art. It raises three main questions: Are there any specific modes of circulation of epigenetics in the general public? Why does epigenetics seem so appealing to the public? Within the public repertoire of epigenetics, is it possible to identify some specific knowledge claims and, if so, given the current state of the art, what is their degree of accuracy? The article argues that the social diffusion of epigenetics frequently carries on beliefs and misconceptions about genetics and epigenetics. The social life of epigenetics fuels a collective 'illusion' of control and empowerment on the basis of which new markets expand. More unexpectedly, this article underlines the emergence of a new scientific culture, i.e. the 'scientifization' of the cultural appropriation of epigenetics. Our analysis can inform the scientific community about the current and evolving state of the public representation of epigenetics and help it frame outreach activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michel Dubois
- Epigenetics, Data, Politics (EpiDaPo), CNRS, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
- Groupe d'Étude des Méthodes de l'Analyse Sociologique de la Sorbonne (GEMASS), CNRS, Sorbonne University, Paris, France
| | - Séverine Louvel
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Sciences Po Grenoble, PACTE, Grenoble, France
| | - Anne Le Goff
- Institute for Society and Genetics (ISG), University of Califonia Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- EpiCenter on Epigenetics, Reproduction, and Society, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Catherine Guaspare
- Epigenetics, Data, Politics (EpiDaPo), CNRS, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
- Groupe d'Étude des Méthodes de l'Analyse Sociologique de la Sorbonne (GEMASS), CNRS, Sorbonne University, Paris, France
| | - Patrick Allard
- Institute for Society and Genetics (ISG), University of Califonia Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- EpiCenter on Epigenetics, Reproduction, and Society, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Dyke SOM, Saulnier KM, Dupras C, Webster AP, Maschke K, Rothstein M, Siebert R, Walter J, Beck S, Pastinen T, Joly Y. Points-to-consider on the return of results in epigenetic research. Genome Med 2019; 11:31. [PMID: 31122281 PMCID: PMC6533659 DOI: 10.1186/s13073-019-0646-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
As epigenetic studies become more common and lead to new insights into health and disease, the return of individual epigenetic results to research participants, in particular in large-scale epigenomic studies, will be of growing importance. Members of the International Human Epigenome Consortium (IHEC) Bioethics Workgroup considered the potential ethical, legal, and social issues (ELSI) involved in returning epigenetic research results and incidental findings in order to produce a set of 'Points-to-consider' (P-t-C) for the epigenetics research community. These P-t-C draw on existing guidance on the return of genetic research results, while also integrating the IHEC Bioethics Workgroup's ELSI research on and discussion of the issues associated with epigenetic data as well as the experience of a return of results pilot study by the Personal Genome Project UK (PGP-UK). Major challenges include how to determine the clinical validity and actionability of epigenetic results, and considerations related to environmental exposures and epigenetic marks, including circumstances warranting the sharing of results with family members and third parties. Interdisciplinary collaboration and good public communication regarding epigenetic risk will be important to advance the return of results framework for epigenetic science.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie O M Dyke
- Centre of Genomics and Policy, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 0G1, Canada.
- Montreal Neurological Institute, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 2B4, Canada.
| | - Katie M Saulnier
- Centre of Genomics and Policy, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 0G1, Canada
| | - Charles Dupras
- Centre of Genomics and Policy, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 0G1, Canada
| | - Amy P Webster
- UCL Cancer Institute, University College London, London, WC1E 6DD, UK
| | | | - Mark Rothstein
- Institute for Bioethics, Health Policy and Law, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY, 40202, USA
| | - Reiner Siebert
- Institute of Human Genetics, Ulm University Medical Center, 89091, Ulm, Germany
| | - Jörn Walter
- Saarland University, 66123, Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Stephan Beck
- UCL Cancer Institute, University College London, London, WC1E 6DD, UK
| | - Tomi Pastinen
- Department of Human Genetics, McGill University and Genome Quebec Innovation Centre, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 0G1, Canada
- Center for Pediatric Genomic Medicine, Children's Mercy Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, 64108, USA
| | - Yann Joly
- Centre of Genomics and Policy, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 0G1, Canada
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Abstract
As an important economic insect, silkworm Bombyx mori (L.) (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) has numerous advantages in life science, such as low breeding cost, large progeny size, short generation time, and clear genetic background. Additionally, there are rich genetic resources associated with silkworms. The completion of the silkworm genome has further accelerated it to be a modern model organism in life science. Genomic studies showed that some silkworm genes are highly homologous to certain genes related to human hereditary disease and, therefore, are a candidate model for studying human disease. In this article, we provided a review of silkworm as an important model in various research areas, including human disease, screening of antimicrobial agents, environmental safety monitoring, and antitumor studies. In addition, the application potentiality of silkworm model in life sciences was discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xu Meng
- Institute of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, Jiangsu, China
| | - Feifei Zhu
- Institute of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, Jiangsu, China
| | - Keping Chen
- Institute of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, Jiangsu, China
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Ji Y, Wu Z, Dai Z, Wang X, Li J, Wang B, Wu G. Fetal and neonatal programming of postnatal growth and feed efficiency in swine. J Anim Sci Biotechnol 2017; 8:42. [PMID: 28484595 PMCID: PMC5420136 DOI: 10.1186/s40104-017-0173-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2016] [Accepted: 04/18/2017] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Maternal undernutrition or overnutrition during pregnancy alters organ structure, impairs prenatal and neonatal growth and development, and reduces feed efficiency for lean tissue gains in pigs. These adverse effects may be carried over to the next generation or beyond. This phenomenon of the transgenerational impacts is known as fetal programming, which is mediated by stable and heritable alterations of gene expression through covalent modifications of DNA and histones without changes in DNA sequences (namely, epigenetics). The mechanisms responsible for the epigenetic regulation of protein expression and functions include chromatin remodeling; DNA methylation (occurring at the 5´-position of cytosine residues within CpG dinucleotides); and histone modifications (acetylation, methylation, phosphorylation, and ubiquitination). Like maternal malnutrition, undernutrition during the neonatal period also reduces growth performance and feed efficiency (weight gain:feed intake; also known as weight-gain efficiency) in postweaning pigs by 5-10%, thereby increasing the days necessary to reach the market body-weight. Supplementing functional amino acids (e.g., arginine and glutamine) and vitamins (e.g., folate) play a key role in activating the mammalian target of rapamycin signaling and regulating the provision of methyl donors for DNA and protein methylation. Therefore, these nutrients are beneficial for the dietary treatment of metabolic disorders in offspring with intrauterine growth restriction or neonatal malnutrition. The mechanism-based strategies hold great promise for the improvement of the efficiency of pork production and the sustainability of the global swine industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun Ji
- State Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193 China
| | - Zhenlong Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193 China
| | - Zhaolai Dai
- State Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193 China
| | - Xiaolong Wang
- Henan Yinfa Animal Husbandry Co., Ltd., Xinzheng, Henan 451100 China
| | - Ju Li
- Henan Yinfa Animal Husbandry Co., Ltd., Xinzheng, Henan 451100 China
| | - Binggen Wang
- Henan Yinfa Animal Husbandry Co., Ltd., Xinzheng, Henan 451100 China
| | - Guoyao Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193 China.,Department of Animal Science and Center for Animal Genomics, Texas A&M University, Room 212, College Station, TX 77843 USA
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Hoffjan S. Dissecting the genetic background of multifactorial diseases and traits - A major challenge for genetic research. Mol Cell Probes 2016; 30:345. [PMID: 27888871 DOI: 10.1016/j.mcp.2016.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sabine Hoffjan
- Department of Human Genetics, Ruhr-University, Bochum, Germany.
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Häfner S. Imagine. Microbes Infect 2016; 19:75-78. [PMID: 27876527 DOI: 10.1016/j.micinf.2016.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2016] [Accepted: 11/03/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sophia Häfner
- University of Copenhagen, BRIC Biotech Research & Innovation Centre, Lund Group, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark.
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Abstract
In this issue of the Biomedical Journal, we examine how far the explosion of epigenetic studies in recent years has translated to benefits for patients in the clinic, and we highlight an original study suggesting that increased vegetable intake protects against osteoporotic fractures. We also hear several opinions on the use, or perhaps misuse, of Impact Factor and what the future should hold for this publication metric.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma L Walton
- Staff Writer at the Biomedical Journal, 56 Dronningens Gate, 7012 Trondheim, Norway.
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