The relationship between epigenetic modifications and genomic instability of tumor cells

Abstract

Epigenetic modifications which have significant changes in the early stage of tumorigenesis play a critical role in the process of normal cell growth and development as well as in tumorigenesis. Genomic instability is one of the important features of tumors. Studying the relationship between epigenetic modifications and genomic instability will help to further understand the mechanisms of tumorigenesis, which will provide reasonable evidence for the early clinical diagnoses and therapies of cancers. This article summarizes the functions and mechanisms of epigenetic modifications, and the relationship between the alterations of these modifications and genomic instability of tumor cells. Key words: Methylation; Histone modifications; Tumor; Gene mutation; Chromosomal rearrangement