Líffræðifélag Íslands
Líffræðiráðstefnan 2015

Erindi/veggspjald / Talk/poster E36

Exploring the epigenome of cancer cells

Ólafur Andri Stefánsson (1, 2)

1) Cancer Research Laboratory, Biomedical Centre, Vatnsmyrarvegur 16 (4th floor), 101 Reykjavik, Iceland. 2) Faculty of Medicine, University of Iceland, Vatnsmyrarvegur 16 (4th floor), 101 Reykjavik, Iceland.

Kynnir / Presenter: Ólafur Andri Stefánsson

Tengiliður / Corresponding author: Ólafur Andri Stefánsson (oas@hi.is)

In recent years, a prominent finding across many different cancer types includes the discovery of mutations in epigenetic genes, i.e. genes involved in regulating chromatin dynamics. For an example, the ARID1A gene, a chromatin remodelling factor, has recently been found mutated in approximately half of all clear cell ovarian cancers and has subsequently been found mutated in other cancer types such as breast cancers. Other notable examples include IDH1 mutations in gliomas along with MLL2 and MLL3 mutations in breast cancers. These and other findings have firmly established epigenetic processes as major contributors to the development of various cancer types. The consequences of mutated epigenetic genes are reflected in the epigenetic landscape, i.e. in the abnormal pattern of chromatin marks as seen in cancer genomes. In this presentation, I will give a brief overview of recent advances in the field of cancer epigenetics and describe currently unpublished results emerging from my research project at the Cancer Research Laboratory, University of Iceland.