Aberrations in epigenetic regulation at various levels, including DNA methylation, chromatin architecture, and regulatory RNAs, are often associated with, and significantly contribute to, almost all cancers. Transcriptional dysregulation is another hallmark of nearly all kinds of cancers. Gene transcription is a complex process and highly regulated at various stages as well at the post-transcriptional level. Epigenetic and transcriptional regulations often control each other, e.g., DNA methylation and histone modifications regulate gene transcription, and transcriptional processes can modify chromatin architectures (histone post-translational modifications).

Increasing evidence suggests that epigenetic and transcriptional dysregulation play vital roles in carcinogenesis, including metastasis, aggressiveness, and recurrence of malignancies. An in-depth understanding of both epigenetic and transcriptional processes and alterations in their regulations are needed to understand tumour pathobiology better and improve clinical management. Epigenetic and transcriptional dysregulations also confer therapeutic vulnerabilities, and remarkably, offer novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

In this Research Topic, we would like to focus on basic and translational research related to epigenetic and transcriptional dysregulations and opportunities for therapeutic interventions in various cancers. We welcome the submission of multiple article types, including Original Research, Brief Research Report, Systemic Review, Reviews, Mini Reviews, Prospective, Hypothesis & Theory, and Methods. In particular, topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
- Understanding cancer epigenetics and epigenomics, including epigenetic dysregulations at genome-wide and gene levels.
- Targeting epigenetic dysregulation in cancers, including novel epigenetic drugs.
- Interface of epigenetics and transcription in cancer.
- Cancer transcriptomics including but not limited to alternative splicing, enhancer RNAs, lincRNAs & other regulatory RNAs, etc.
- Genome-wide transcriptional regulations in cancer including transcription initiation, RNA Pol II pausing, release & pre-mature termination, divergent transcription, co-transcriptional splicing, RNA Pol II termination, etc.
- Transcription factors, transcriptional regulators in carcinogenesis.
- Targeting transcriptional dysregulations in cancer.

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Frontiers in Genetics

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