Epigenetic alterations such as DNA methylation, histone modifications and non-coding RNA (including microRNA) associated gene silencing have been identified as a major characteristic in human cancers. These alterations may occur more frequently than genetic mutations and play a key role in silencing tumor suppressor genes or activating oncogenes, thereby affecting multiple cellular processes. In recent years, studies have shown that microRNAs, that act as posttranscriptional regulators of gene expression are frequently deregulated in colorectal cancer (CRC), via aberrant DNA methylation. Over the past decade, technological advances have revolutionized the field of epigenetics and have led to the identification of numerous epigenetically dysregulated miRNAs in CRC, which are regulated by CpG island hypermethylation and DNA hypomethylation. In addition, aberrant DNA methylation of miRNA genes holds a great promise in several clinical applications such as biomarkers for early screening, prognosis, and therapeutic applications in CRC.
Keywords: Colorectal cancer; DNA methylation; Epigenetic regulation; MicroRNA.