DNA methylation is a process by which methyl groups are added to the DNA molecule, usually at the 5-position of the cytosine ring (5mC) in the CpG dinucleotide. DNA methylation is involved in various biological processes, including embryonic development, cellular differentiation, genomic imprinting, X chromosome inactivation, and tumorigenesis. DNA methylation can regulate gene expression by affecting transcription factor binding, RNA polymerase II recruitment, and chromatin structure. In addition, DNA methylation can also interact with other epigenetic modifications, such as histone modification and non-coding RNA regulation, to form a more complex epigenetic regulatory network.

Over the years, DNA methylation, as a common epigenetic modification, has been widely reported to play an important role in the occurrence and development of tumors. Abnormal DNA methylation often leads to changes in gene expression, chromosome stability and other aspects, and is one of the important mechanisms of tumorigenesis. DNA methylation-related targets have also been reported to be crucial for tumor treatment recently. Inhibitors targeting DNA methyltransferase, including 5-azacytidine, 5-aza-2’-deoxycytidine, SGI-110, etc., have been widely utilized as epigenetic drugs, especially for treating hematologic malignancies.

This Research Topic aims at bringing together great insight focusing on further understanding the mechanisms of DNA methylation regulation in tumors, exploring new therapeutic targets, and developing new therapeutic methods for more effective treatment of tumors.

Specifically, submissions addressing the following subtopics are highly welcome.

● Insight into DNA methylation pathways and molecular mechanisms in tumor
● Novel DNA methylation-related therapeutic targets for tumor treatment
● Drug development such as small molecules targeting DNA methylation-related targets for tumor treatment

Please note: manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics or computational analysis of public genomic or transcriptomic databases which are not accompanied by validation (independent cohort or biological validation in vitro or in vivo) are out of scope for this section and will not be accepted as part of this Research Topic.

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Frontiers in Oncology

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