DNA Methylation and Cancer - Garvan Institute

In normal, healthy cells, two epigenetic processes - DNA methylation and DNA de-methylation - are maintained in a delicate balance. This balance is disrupted in cancer. Gene promoter regions that are typically unmethylated in healthy cells commonly become highly methylated in cancer and the associated gene is silenced. In comparison, the non-genic regions of DNA become de-methylated in cancer often leading to DNA instability. This disorganized DNA methylation pattern means that the cancer DNA becomes de-arranged and genes responsible for stopping cancer growth, also called tumour suppressor genes, are switched off, allowing cancers to grow unchecked.

[Revoluus]

Excellent explanation: concise, jargon-limited, and straight to the point. We need more 3-5 minute videos explaining complicated processes to the public at large.

Thanks again!

[awpawlaw]

This is so straight to the point and easy to understand, thanks!

[subhashranjan]

Highly impressed with this vedioclip and for the first time through your deliberation a professor has understood this complex process. Thank you very much indeed. Would love to learn from you more and more Sir! Regards

[ELPasoTX]

So presumably hyper-methylation can deactivate a lot of DNA repair genes too.

[zafkieli]

Thanks so much for clear explanation : )

[scottmitchell]

Balance is important. Great short presentation.

[QFBPLR]

That's beautiful, TYSM for the explication.
Saludos desde México.

[rebeccacastellano]

This information is not getting out early enough to the masses. So sad!!!!

[patrickneal]

I love you Armando.
If you ever need a kidney transplant, you can have one of mine xx.

[sugar_salt_H]

Thanks for the your perfect explanation.

[bodycareforhealth]

excellent as always thank you, just need to slow delivery speed down a touch. thanks love all your amazing work.

[hongxinzhang]

Super useful and easy to understand. Helped the big time! Thanks!

[annathunguye]

Thank you very much for uploading this excellent video

[televishenimoniker]

Naive question: Could manipulation of the methylation on DNA cause a generation of a stem cell. Is a stem cell just one that has yet to undergo any methylation (expressing all genes)?

[dolphinlover]

please correct me any part of the statements if they are wrong.
I understood that:
1) promoter DNA methylation is a NORMAL action in response to the environment/epigenetics and ultimately results in gene silencing.
2) CpG site(s) methylation (another NORMAL nature of genome) ultimately creates different cell types and furthers their division (via unique methylation patterns per cell type, across the genome of cell types).
3) It is UNCOMMON for PROMOTER CpG islands to be methylated, because they (promoter regions) have important regulatory elements that control gene transcription (and shouldn't be 'messed' with).... and offset balance of promoter dna methylation and CpG island
4) So, in cancer cells we not only have the UNCOMMONality of the methylation of DNA PROMOTER CpG islands, but they are HYPERMETHYLATED. This means
the normal inactivation for silencing of the gene for suppressing tumors is otherwise, due to hypermethylation, now allowed to be activated (so NO silencing of gene for suppressing tumors) and thus, allowed to differentiate/divide/aka behave like a tumor and go
Let me know.
Thanks!

[sharptongue]

Very nice for someone without a bio background.

[televishenimoniker]

Where does *RNA* fit in?? Do the methylated spots on the DNA affect the transcription process into RNA?

[MI-qjxr]

Do you know anything about how methylated b vitamins can affect these processes, especially within the 'tight regulation' of demethylation/methylation of DNA? Sorry if this is off topic.

[rosyaryaseries]

nice explaination...but how promoters of housekeeping genes remains unmethylated

[changalden]

Very cool, but where does these DNMT comes from? What is regulating DNMT for us to take human shape?