Abstract
Arsenic is a ubiquitous metalloid that is not mutagenic but is carcinogenic. The mechanism(s) by which arsenic causes cancer remain unknown. To date, several mechanisms have been proposed, including the arsenic-induced generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, it is also becoming evident that inorganic arsenic (iAs) may exert its carcinogenic effects by changing the epigenome, and thereby modifying chromatin structure and dynamics. These epigenetic changes alter the accessibility of gene regulatory factors to DNA, resulting in specific changes in gene expression both at the levels of transcription initiation and gene splicing. In this review, we discuss recent literature reports describing epigenetic changes induced by iAs exposure and the possible epigenetic mechanisms underlying these changes.
Document Type
Review
Publication Date
3-1-2017
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1515/reveh-2016-0025
Repository Citation
Eckstein, Meredith; Eleazer, Rebekah; Rea, Matthew; and Fondufe-Mittendorf, Yvonne N., "Epigenomic Reprogramming in Inorganic Arsenic-Mediated Gene Expression Patterns During Carcinogenesis" (2017). Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry Faculty Publications. 134.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/biochem_facpub/134
Included in
Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology Commons, Environmental Health Commons, Genetics and Genomics Commons, Inorganic Chemicals Commons
Notes/Citation Information
Published in Reviews on Environmental Health, v. 32, issue 1-2, p. 93-103.
©2016, Yvonne Fondufe-Mittendorf et al., published by De Gruyter.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.