Epigenetic alterations can be heritable and stable, but also dynamic. This plasticity has raised the question of whether epigenetic changes can be drivers of tumorigenesis. Aryee et al. analysed genome-wide methylation profiles in metastatic prostate cancer using 'cityscape' plots. Although they found inter-individual heterogeneity among patients, methylation alterations in the primary tumour and metastases were similar in each individual. In general, hypermethylated regions were enriched for cancer-related genes. These results suggest that DNA methylation might be a selectable driver event.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER
Aryee, M. J. et al. DNA methylation alterations exhibit intraindividual stability and interindividual heterogeneity in prostate cancer metastases. Sci. Transl. Med. 5, 169ra10 (2013)
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Seton-Rogers, S. Methylation in the driver's seat?. Nat Rev Cancer 13, 149 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrc3480
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrc3480