CRC 1292, Project 07: Defining the role of hepatocellular carcinoma-related epigenetic alterations driving immune evasion

Epigenetic alterations frequently occur in liver cancer and significantly impair tumor-directed immune responses by both, facilitating resistance to the attack of cytotoxic immune cells while concomitantly modulating function and composition of immune cells in the tumor microenvironment. Based on the potential reversibility of epigenetic modifications and, thus, epigenetic driven immune escape mechanisms the characterization of these mechanisms might be of particular importance for the development of novel therapeutic approaches. Here, we will analyze the role of two HCC-associated key epigenetic regulators, DNMT1 and SIRT6, and their related modifications in tumor-directed immune responses