Epigenetic Dysregulation in Cancers: From Mechanism to Therapy

Dear Colleagues,

Besides genetic alterations, from point mutations to chromosomal aberrations, epigenetics dysregulation is also involved in several features of carcinogenesis. Among these, the histone modifications and non-coding RNAs are the most well-characterized epigenetic hallmarks, playing a pivotal role in cancer initiation and progression. In this context, microRNAs have been recently investigated to evaluate their application as therapeutic agents in cancer treatment. Moreover, DNA methylation has attracted growing interest for its key role in the regulation of several cancer-related genes. In particular, promoter hypomethylation is strictly associated with the transcriptional activation of oncogenes, while the hypermethylation status of promoter regions induces tumor suppressor gene silencing. Despite recent evidence indicating that intragenic DNA methylation is actively involved in transcriptional regulatory processes and splicing, its functional role has not been completely elucidated yet. In this field, methylation hotspots have recently emerged as potential biomarkers for cancer diagnosis and prognosis. In this context, the recent advances in site-specific methylation/demethylation could represent a promising strategy to improve the outcomes of cancer treatment.

This Special Issue aims to provide an overview of the recent advances into the epigenetic phenomena affecting cancer-related gene expression, as well as the reliability of epigenetic hotspots in early cancer diagnosis. Furthermore, the latest clinical relevance of the main epigenetic markers is provided, representing a starting point for the development of new cancer treatment options. This Special Issue will contain original research articles, including in silico studies and full reviews.

Dr. Saverio Candido
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.