Epigenetic regulation in medulloblastoma: from tumor heterogeneity to diagnostic, prognostic, and translational applications
Abstract
Medulloblastoma (MB) is the most common malignant pediatric brain tumor. Epigenetic dysregulation, particularly in Group 3 and Group 4 tumors, is a major driver of tumorigenesis despite relatively few recurrent driver mutations. DNA methylation, histone modification, chromatin remodeling, and non-coding RNAs orchestrate aberrant transcriptional programs governing tumor initiation, progression, and cellular identity. Single-cell and multi-omic studies have revealed epigenetic heterogeneity, cellular plasticity, and microenvironmental interactions underlying therapeutic resistance. Epigenetic alterations provide valuable diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. DNA methylation profiling is the gold standard for molecular classification, while epigenetic signatures and cerebrospinal fluid circulating tumor DNA support precision diagnosis and disease monitoring. This review integrates recent advances in MB epigenetics into a framework linking cellular plasticity and the tumor microenvironment to biomarker-driven precision therapies. Several comprehensive reviews have summarized the epigenetic landscape of medulloblastoma, focusing primarily on DNA methylation, histone modifications, chromatin remodeling, and subgroup-specific epigenetic alterations. While these studies have substantially advanced our understanding of epigenetic mechanisms, the rapid emergence of single-cell sequencing, spatial transcriptomics, multi-omic integration, and three-dimensional chromatin mapping has…
Read the paper
Related studies
- Regulation of nucleolus assembly by non-coding RNA polymerase II transcripts
- For a Healthy Histone Code, a Little SUMO in the Tail Keeps the Acetyl Away
- Discovering a binary CTCF code with a little help from BORIS
- Article Commentary: Stabilizing the Code–-Methods to Preserve RNA Prove Their Worth
- Foreword to the Special Issue for the RINTC (The Implicit Seismic Risk of Code-Conforming Structures) Project
- Commentary: Promoting Health and Well-being in Pediatric Primary Care Settings: Using Health and Behavior Codes at Routine Well-child Visits
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.