Epigenetic factors in breast cancer progression

Abstract

Breast carcinogenesis involves genetic and epigenetic mechanisms for its initiation and progression. These mechanisms include genetically driven mutational changes in the tumor suppressor genes or proto-oncogenes, and epigenetic modifications leading to transcriptional up- or down-regulation of key regulatory genes involved in breast cancer progression. While, the participation of the genetic constituents in the carcinogenesis process has been known for decades, the knowledge of involvement of epigenetic machinery in tumor initiation and promotion is comparatively newer, furthermore less explored. The major epigenetic modifications including DNA methylation, histone modifications and micro-RNA-mediated transcriptional silencing are crucial processes involved in the initiation and progression of breast carcinogenesis. This chapter describes the major epigenetic modifications involved in breast carcinogenesis and use of various epigenetic modulators in preclinical as well as in clinical trials against breast carcinogenesis.