Gene Silencing by the Polycomb Group Proteins and Associations With Cancer

Abstract

Cancer not only is associated with inherited genetic sequences but also results from epigenetic changes. Thus, understanding the mechanisms underlying epigenetic modifications is important for cancer prevention, diagnosis, and therapy. There is much evidence showing that some Polycomb group (PcG) proteins are abnormally expressed in certain tumors. This review addresses biological functions and biochemical behaviors of the Polycomb repression complex proteins, including their enzymatic activities. Additionally, the potential mechanisms of PcG gene silencing by PcG and its link to cancers are summarized that will shed light on this novel area of study in cancer.

Keywords: :

• Polycomb group proteins
• Cancer
• Epigenetics

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

This work was supported by a grant from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (no. 30830055).

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.