DNA的表观遗传修饰对正常细胞和生物功能至关重要。DNA甲基化、组蛋白修饰和染色质重塑是最常见的表观遗传机制。这些变化是遗传性的，但仍可逆转。异常的表观遗传改变，如DNA甲基化、组蛋白修饰和非编码RNA（ncRNA）介导的基因调控，在多种人类疾病的发展中起着重要作用，包括癌症。最近的研究显示，合成和膳食表观遗传抑制剂能够减弱癌细胞中的异常表观遗传修饰，因此具有强大的癌症治疗潜力。在本章中，我们重点介绍了各种类型的表观遗传修饰、其机制以及作为表观遗传治疗药物靶点的作用。版权所有©2023 Elsevier Inc.

Epigenetic modifications to DNA are crucial for normal cellular and biological functioning. DNA methylation, histone modifications, and chromatin remodeling are the most common epigenetic mechanisms. These changes are heritable but still reversible. The aberrant epigenetic alterations, such as DNA methylation, histone modification, and non-coding RNA (ncRNA)-mediated gene regulation, play an essential role in developing various human diseases, including cancer. Recent studies show that synthetic and dietary epigenetic inhibitors attenuate the abnormal epigenetic modifications in cancer cells and therefore have strong potential for cancer treatment. In this chapter, we have highlighted various types of epigenetic modifications, their mechanism, and as drug targets for epigenetic therapy.Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Inc.