Yuki Yamamoto

DNA and Histone Modifications in Cancer Diagnosis

A number of epigenetic alterations occur during carcinogenesis, and inactivation of tumor suppressor genes is a major determinant of cancer development. Hypermethylation of tumor suppressor genes, histone modification, DNA methylation are major epigenetic alteration in cancers. These alterations may cause a change in gene expression in cells as well as in secretory factors, which include proteins and nucleic acid. Aberrant miRNA expression associated with promoter methylation has been found in body fluids such as plasma and serum, and liquid biopsy can therefore be used to identify significant biomarkers in the early detection of cancer. In addition, telomeres are a key regulator of chromosome stability in cancer. Epigenetic modification by histone methylation is associated with the maintenance of telomere length. This maintenance is essential for cancer to maintain an immortal phenotype. Telomeric repeat-containing RNA (TERRA) is also a regulator of epigenetic modification. In this review, we describe recent advances in our understanding of epigenetic regulation in cancers, including DNA and histone modifications, as well as regulation by non-coding RNAs.

Mitigating Climate Change by Preventing Peatland Fire: Conditions for Successful REDD+ in Indonesia

This chapter investigates key issues related to the implementation of REDD+ in Central Kalimantan Province of Indonesia, where peatland fires contribute significantly to the release of large amounts of carbon. We focus on the investigation of factors that promote peatland fire prevention and on the estimation of the Kalimantan Forest Carbon Partnership (KFCP), one of the earliest REDD+ plot projects. In our analysis, no effect of the KFCP is found, whereas economic factors, such as the value of labor allocation for rubber production and additional off-farm income, and noneconomic factors, such as traditional mutual assistance called Gotong-royong, can promote fire prevention. This finding is attributed to the fact that the KFCP failed to develop an appropriate incentive scheme. These results suggest that a better design for intervention would incorporate a combination of economic and noneconomic incentives to achieve an effective REDD+ policy.