Epigenetic Drivers in Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Gliomas (DIPG)

The limited medical options for and low survival rate of patients with diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas (DIPG) push medical researchers to find the genetic and epigenetic, the non-gene influences on gene expression, origins of this tumor type. Recent genome sequencing of DIPGs showed histone mutations found in 80% of cases. Mutations of histones, the proteins responsible for packing bundles of DNA together, result in structural changes throughout the entire genome. Using Whole Genome Sequencing and the Pediatric Brain Tumor Atlas, researchers are building maps of these histone mutations, resulting alterations, and their impact on the development of DIPG.