A Perspective of Epigenetic Regulation in Radiotherapy.

ABSTRACT: Radiation therapy (RT) has been employed as a tumoricidal modality for more than 100 years and on 470,000 patients each year in the United States. The ionizing radiation causes genetic changes and results in cell death. However, since the biological mechanism of radiation remains unclear, there is a pressing need to understand this mechanism to improve the killing effect on tumors and reduce the side effects on normal cells. DNA break and epigenetic remodeling can be induced by radiotherapy. Hence the modulation of histone modification enzymes may tune the radiosensitivity of cancer cells. For instance, histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors sensitize irradiated cancer cells by amplifying the DNA damage signaling and inhibiting double-strand DNA break repair to influence the irradiated cell

SUBMITTER: Peng Q 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7930394 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature