Acetylation of Histone H3 in Cancer Progression and Prognosis

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Sage

Cancer is a multifactorial disease shaped by genetic factors and epigenetic alterations. Histone acetylation, a post-translational modification that reshapes chromatin architecture and controls gene expression, is linked to cancer initiation, development, and progression. Global aberrations in histone acetylation are seen across diverse cancer cells and correlate with tumor aggressiveness, supporting prognostic value. This reversible acetylation of histone H3 on distinct lysine residues yields different biological outcomes. The review discusses recent findings on H3 acetylation across cancer types and its biomarker potential.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Keywords

1. Introduction

Review Acetylation of Histone H3 in Cancer Progression and Prognosis Paulina Miziak *, Marzena Baran, Lidia Borkiewicz, Tomasz Trombik and Andrzej Stepulak * Citation: Miziak, P.; Baran, M.; Borkiewicz, L.; Trombik, T.; Stepulak, A. Acetylation of Histone H3 in Cancer Progression and Prognosis. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25, 10982. [https://](https://)[ ](https://)[doi.org/10.3390/ijms252010982](doi.org/10.3390/ijms252010982) Academic Editor: Andrew R. Green Received: 23 August 2024 Revised: 5 October 2024 Accepted: 9 October 2024 Published: 12 October 2024 Copyright: © 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license ([https://](https://)[ ](https://)[creativecommons.org/licenses/by/](creativecommons.org/licenses/by/)[ ](creativecommons.org/licenses/by/)[4.0/](4.0/)) . Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical University of Lublin, 1 Chodzki Street, 20-093 Lublin, Poland; [marzenabaran@umlub.pl](marzenabaran@umlub.pl) (M.B.); [lidia.borkiewicz@umlub.pl](lidia.borkiewicz@umlub.pl) (L.B.); [tomasz.trombik@umlub.pl](tomasz.trombik@umlub.pl) (T.T.) * [Correspondence: paulina.miziak@umlub.pl](Correspondence: paulina.miziak@umlub.pl) (P.M.); [andrzej.stepulak@umlub.pl](andrzej.stepulak@umlub.pl) (A.S.) Abstract: Cancer is a multifactorial disease resulting from both genetic factors and epigenetic changes. Histone acetylation, a post-translational modification, which alters chromatin architecture and regulates gene expression is associated with cancer initiation, development and progression. Aberrationsin global histone acetylation levels are observed in various cancer cells and are also associated with patients’ tumor aggressiveness. Therefore, histone acetylation may have prognostic utility and serve as a potential biomarker of cancer progression and patients’ prognosis. The reversible modification of histones by an acetyl group is versatile. One particular histone can be acetylated on different lysine residues, subsequently resulting in different biological outcomes. Here, we discuss recent findings on the acetylation of the highly conserved histone protein H3 in the context of cancer biology. Specifically, we review the acetylation of particular H3 residues in various cancer types. We further highlight the significance of H3 acetylation levels as a potential cancer biomarker with prognostic implications. Keywords: histone H3; histone acetylation; cancer; cancer progression; biomarker; cancer prognosis 1. Introduction Cancer’s complexity, with incidence and mortality still growing in many countries, makes it a life-threatening disease worldwide [1] . Clinical outcomes for cancer patients, including, for example, metastatic potential, response to chemotherapy and risk of recurrence, often differ completely among patients with lesions with the same localization, stage or histopathological and molecular cancer subtype [2–4] . Cancer is the first human disease to be associated with epigenetic alterations [5] . Elucidating the role of epigenetic marks such as histone acetylation and other post-translational modifications (PTMs) is key to understanding the mechanisms of cancer cell proliferation and drug resistance and the modifications in tumor microenvironment composition that favor tumor growth [6] . Given its importance in the process of carcinogenesis, histone acetylation is being explored asa molecular marker defining the oncogenic potential of different tumors together with prediction of clinical outcomes [7] . Histones are highly conserved among Eukaryotes and are positively charged nuclear proteins that form histone octamer, which acts as a linker, stabilizing the entire structure of the nucleosome [8–10] . Various types of histone PTMs have been identified, with prime modifications including acetylation, methylation, phosphorylation, ubiq

FAQs

Why is histone acetylation considered important in cancer?

Histone acetylation alters chromatin structure and regulates gene expression. Aberrant acetylation levels are associated with cancer initiation, development, progression, and tumor aggressiveness.

How does acetylation of histone H3 relate to prognosis?

Histone acetylation may provide prognostic utility because global changes in acetylation correlate with clinical aggressiveness and can serve as a potential biomarker of cancer progression and patients’ prognosis.

What is the significance of acetylation on different H3 lysine residues?

A single histone protein can be acetylated on different lysine residues, producing different biological outcomes. The review emphasizes these residue-specific acetylation patterns across cancer types.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Sage