Biomedicines (Oct 2022)

The Role of Epigenetics in the Development and Progression of Multiple Myeloma

  • Nor Hayati Ismail,
  • Ali Mussa,
  • Nur Atikah Zakaria,
  • Mutaz Jamal Al-Khreisat,
  • Muhamad Aidil Zahidin,
  • Noor Nabila Ramli,
  • Siti Nur Nabeela A’ifah Mohammad,
  • Rosline Hassan,
  • Noor Haslina Mohd Noor,
  • Salfarina Iberahim,
  • Zefarina Zulkafli,
  • Shafini Mohamed Yusoff,
  • Azlan Husin,
  • Muhammad Farid Johan

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines10112767
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10, no. 11
p. 2767

Abstract

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Multiple myeloma (MM) is an exceptionally complicated and heterogeneous disease that is caused by the abnormal proliferation of malignant monoclonal plasma cells initiated in the bone marrow. In disease progression, a multistep process including differentiation, proliferation, and invasion is involved. Despite great improvement in treatment outcomes in recent years due to the substantial discovery of novel therapeutic drugs, MM is still regarded as an incurable disease. Patients with MM are afflicted by confronting remission periods accompanied by relapse or progression outcomes, which inevitably progress to the refractory stage. In this regard, MM may need new medications or modifications in therapeutic strategies to overcome resistance. A variety of genetic abnormalities (e.g., point mutations, translocations, and deletions) and epigenetic changes (e.g., DNA methylation, histone modification, and non-coding RNA) contribute to the pathogenesis and development of MM. Here, we review the significant roles of epigenetic mechanisms in the development and progression of MM. We also highlight epigenetic pathways as potential novel treatment avenues for MM, including their interplay, use of epigenetic inhibitors, and major involvement in immuno-oncology.

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