The inhibition

of NF-κB activity by inhibitor of nuclear factor κB α (IκBα) would remarkably decrease the level of YY1, and consequently neither EZH2 nor HDAC1 could be recruited to miR-29 promoter [14]. This study demonstrated that NF-κB might be an upstream regulator of the epigenetic status of miR-29 in skeletal myogenesis. Selleckchem GDC-0068 In addition to these effects in solid tumors, miR-29 deregulation by epigenetic mechanisms can also be found in human hematological cancers. For instance, in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the transcriptional complex NF-κB/Sp1 can interact with HDAC1 and HDAC3 to form the NF-κB/Sp1/HDAC complex on miR-29b enhancer, which resulted in the silencing of miR-29b. Notably, MYC can directly bind to miR-29b promoter and stimulate the activity of NF-κB/Sp1/HDAC. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/th-302.html Therefore, the down-regulation of miR-29b is MYC-dependent [15]. Interestingly, HDAC inhibition could restore the expression of miR-29b in only one third of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) samples [16]. For the other two-thirds of CLL cases, the identification of other histone modifications that contribute to epigenetic silencing of miR-29b still needs to

be accomplished. In summary, binding of MYC or NF-κB on the miR-29 promoter seems to be a primary event in miR-29 silencing, and thereby induces the initial step of its chromatin modification. Subsequently, various histone modifying enzymes such as EZH2 and HDACs can be recruited to the miR-29b promoter. These enzymatic effectors might receive signals from their initiator, and then function as an executor of this epigenetic event. Additionally, the transcription factors YY1 and Sp1, which are dispensable in this regulation, might act as bridges that connect the initiator and the executor. Let-7 family Reportedly, the let-7 miRNAs, which target oncogenic Ras and function as tumor suppressors, are

located in fragile genomic regions that are frequently deleted in human cancers [1, 17]. Besides genomic alterations, the let-7 genes could also be regulated by epigenetic mechanisms. MYC induced by H. pylori CagA in gastric cancer cells can suppress the expression of let-7a and let-7c through two epigenetic approaches: (1) MYC stimulates EZH2 expression by reducing its negative regulators, miR-26a and miR-101; (2) MYC interacts with DNMT3B Docetaxel nmr and EZH2 on the let-7 promoter, and consequently the let-7 gene is silenced through both DNA and histone methylation. Accordingly, the Ras pathway is activated to contribute to carcinogenesis [18]. However, in human lung cancers, let-7a-3 was found to be hypomethylated, which is different from its status in normal lung tissues [19], suggesting that differential, and even opposite, epigenetic regulations might take place in the same miRNA according to the cell context. In view of that, exploration into the epigenetic modulation of the let-7 gene family is essential.