Gene Silencing in Cancer in Association with Promoter Hypermethylation

作者：James Gordon Herman, Stephen B. Baylin · 发表于：New England Journal of Medicine · 年份：2003 · DOI：10.1056/nejmra023075 · 被引用次数：3441 · 研究领域：Epigenetics and DNA Methylation、Cancer-related gene regulation、Genetics and Neurodevelopmental Disorders

This article reviews the mechanisms of gene silencing in cancer and clinical applications of this phenomenon. The silencing of genes, especially tumor-suppressor genes, is a key event in the development of cancer. The silencing can be effected by a disabling mutation or by a shutting down of the promoter region, the site at which transcription of the gene begins.