宫颈癌发生过程中的表观遗传异常

摘要

Epigenetics is defined as the study of inherited changes in phenotype or gene expression caused by mechanisms other than changes in the underlying DNA sequence. During cervical carcinogenesis, cancer-associated epigenetic alterations can affect the expression of HPV oncogenes. Additionally, it can control the overexpression of oncogene and underexpression of tumor-suppressor genes. Recent researches have proved that the abnormal interaction miRNAs and epigenetics definitively linked to HPV associated cervical cancer. Aberrant epigenetics are involved in silencing of tumor-suppressor miRNAs in carcinogenesis. On the other hand, miRNAs can improve the repair of viral DNA and silence tumor-suppressor genes by regulating DNA methylation or histone modifications.%表观遗传指DNA序列不发生变化,而基因表达却发生可遗传的改变.在宫颈癌发生过程中,表观遗传改变不仅影响着人乳头瘤病毒(HPV)致癌基因的异常表达,而且可导致宿主细胞多个癌基因激活和抑癌基因的失活.近年发现,表观遗传和微小RNA(miRNA)相互调控异常也与宫颈癌发生密切相关.表观遗传异常可导致具有抑癌作用的miRNA沉默表达,miRNA也可通过DNA甲基化和组蛋白修饰促进病毒的DNA修复、抑癌基因表达沉默.