Epigenetic modulations of immune cells: from normal development to tumor progression

Abstract

The dysfunction of immune cell development often impairs immunological homeostasis, thus causing various human diseases. Accumulating evidence shows that the development of different immune cells from hematopoietic stem cells are highly fine-tuned by different epigenetic mechanisms including DNA methylation, histone modifications, chromatin remodeling and RNA-related regulations. Understanding how epigenetic regulators modulate normal development of immune cells contributes to the identification of new strategies for various diseases. Here, we review recent advances suggesting that epigenetic modulations can orchestrate immune cell development and functions through their impact on critical gene expression. We also discuss the aberrations of epigenetic modulations in immune cells that influence tumor progression, and the fact that underlying mechanisms affect how epigenetic drugs interfere with tumor progression in the clinic.

Research progress of the netrins and their receptors in cancer

“…Studies have found that the different cells of the immune system originate from the haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) 99 . In NTN1 β‐geo/β‐geo mouse models, increased activation and progressive loss of HSC numbers as well as self‐renewal potential were observed after global deletion of NTN1, mimicking the NEO1‐mutant phenotype.…”