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Epigenetics of Dietary Methyl-Group Donor Deficiency and Liver Cancer

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Handbook of Nutrition, Diet, and Epigenetics

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Abstract

Food, nutritional factors, and dietary habits play a fundamental role in the etiology of cancer and contribute greatly to the development of liver cancer. One of the best characterized nutritional models of liver carcinogenesis that resembles the development of liver cancer in humans is dietary methyl donor deficiency in rodents. This model has been extensively studied, and the results have identified clearly non-genotoxic epigenetic alterations, especially methylation of DNA and histone proteins, as the underlying mechanism of the liver cancer development. Importantly, this methyl-deficient model allows the identification of early epigenetic alterations that persist during liver cancer development and that may be used as diagnostic biomarkers. The correction of epigenetic alterations by dietary interventions is a promising avenue for cancer control and prevention strategies.

The views expressed in this manuscript do not necessarily represent those of the US Food and Drug Administration.

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Abbreviations

5,10-MTHF:

5,10-Methylenetetrahydrofolate

15-MTHF:

5-Methyltetrahydrofolate

Bhmt:

Betaine-homocysteine S-methyltransferase

CBS:

Cystathionine β-synthase

CGL:

Cystathionine y-lyase

DNMTs:

DNA methyltransferases

GNMT:

Glycine N-methyltransferase

GSH:

Glutathione

H4K20:

Histone H3 lysine 9 (H3K9) and histone H4 lysine 20

HBV:

Hepatitis B

HCC:

Hepatocellular carcinoma

HCV:

Hepatitis C

HCY:

Homocysteine

MAT:

Methionine adenosyltransferase

Mat1a :

Methionine adenosyltransferase 1 alpha

MDD:

Methyl-group donor-deficient

MET:

L-Methionine

MS:

Methionine synthase

MT:

Methyltransferases

MTA:

Methylthioadenosine

MTHFR:

Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase

NAFLD:

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

SAH:

S-Adenosylhomocysteine

SAHH:

SAH hydrolase

SAM:

S-Adenosylmethionine

TET:

Ten-eleven translocation methylcytosine dioxygenase enzymes

THF:

Tetrahydrofolate

αKB:

α-Ketobutyrate

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Biochemical Toxicology, National Center for Toxicological Research, Food and Drug Administration, Jefferson, AR, USA

    Aline de Conti & Igor P. Pogribny

Authors
  1. Aline de Conti
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  2. Igor P. Pogribny
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Correspondence to Aline de Conti .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Life Sciences, University of Westminster, London, UK

    Vinood B. Patel

  2. Diabetes and Nutritional Sciences Research Division, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King’s College London, London, UK

    Victor R. Preedy

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de Conti, A., Pogribny, I.P. (2019). Epigenetics of Dietary Methyl-Group Donor Deficiency and Liver Cancer. In: Patel, V., Preedy, V. (eds) Handbook of Nutrition, Diet, and Epigenetics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55530-0_43

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55530-0_43

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