Interplay between epigenetic abnormalities and deregulated expression of microRNAs in cancer

It is becoming apparent that spatio-temporally controlled patterns of DNA methylation and histone modifications ensure that each cell in the body gets differentiated into its required cell fate during normal development. It is a well-coordinated and tightly synchronized unidirectional process that involves stepwise gene silencing associated with developmental stages, as well as the activation of tissue-specific programming of genes. However, dysregulations in epigenetic modifications can severely disturb normal developmental pathways, thus leading to cancer development and progression. Furthermore, increasing lists of research publications are examining tumor suppressor and oncogenic miRNAs, which are epigenetically modified in different cancers, as well as upregulated long non-coding RNAs acting as miRNA sponges.