The epigenome denotes all the information related to gene expression that is not contained in the DNA sequence but rather results from chemical changes to histones and DNA. Epigenetic modifications act in a cooperative way towards the regulation of gene expression, working at the transcriptional or post-transcriptional level, and play a key role in the determination of phenotypic variations in cells containing the same genotype. Epigenetic modifications are important considerations in relation to anti-cancer therapy and regenerative/reconstructive medicine. Moreover, a range of clinical trials have been performed, exploiting the potential of epigenetics in stem cell engineering towards application in disease treatments and diagnostics. Epigenetic studies will most likely be the basis of future cancer therapies, as epigenetic modifications play major roles in tumour formation, malignancy and metastasis. In fact, a large number of currently designed or tested clinical approaches, based on compounds regulating epigenetic pathways in various types of tumours, employ these mechanisms in stem cell bioengineering.

Department of Anatomy Poznan University of Medical Sciences 60 781 Poznan Poland

Department of Biomaterials and Experimental Dentistry Poznan University of Medical Sciences 61 701 Poznan Poland

Department of Histology and Embryology Poznan University of Medical Sciences 60 781 Poznan Poland

Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology University Hospital and Masaryk University 602 00 Brno Czech Republic

Department of Periodontology and Oral Implantology Dental Research Division University of Guarulhos São Paulo 07023 070 Brazil

Department of Toxicology Poznan University of Medical Sciences 61 631 Poznan Poland

Department of Veterinary Surgery Institute of Veterinary Medicine Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun 87 100 Torun Poland

Physiology Graduate Program North Carolina State University Raleigh NC 27695 USA

Prestage Department of Poultry Science North Carolina State University Raleigh NC 27695 USA

The School of Medicine Medical Sciences and Nutrition University of Aberdeen Aberdeen AB25 2ZD UK

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