The Involvement of Epigenetic Mechanisms in Malignant Tumor Gene Transmissions

Abstract

Epigenetics studies physiological changes resulting from gene expression mutations instead of genetic code self-alterations, stating that the environment is responsible for the chemicals that influence and attach to genes. Notably, epigenetic mechanisms maintain the regular development of expression patterns relating to tissue genes specifically. The abnormal epigenetic modifications of specific oncogenes, as well as tumor suppressor genes, may result in uncontrollable cell growth and division, modified gene function, and cancerous mutations. Recently, technological progress has begun to characterize cancerous molecular epigenetic changes, which in turn have driven drug research and development. An example of a type of epigenetic drug and treatment would be cancer growth inhibitors, which function to reactivate tumor suppressor genes, blocking the growth factors that activate uncontrollable cell division and growth, restoring normal cell functions. Research studies have realized that epigenetic mechanisms must be transmitted during cell division, leading to a greater understanding of gene mutations. This study aimed to review how tumor cells transmit their epigenetic features to daughter cells while maintaining the malignant phenotype, resulting in cancerous growth. Through an intensive process in which I collected data and gathered materials for quantitative analysis, the study concluded that the three trademark epigenetic mechanisms of DNA methylation, hereditary chromatin structures, and timings of DNA replications were the cause of such successful transmission.