Epigenetic Reprogramming and the Tumour Microenvironment: Multi-Omics Insights into Cancer Mechanisms and Biomarker Discovery

Cancer progression is shaped not only by somatic mutation but by pervasive epigenomic dysregulation. Beyond alterations in canonical oncogenes and tumour suppressor genes, aberrant DNA methylation, histone modification, and chromatin remodelling fundamentally alter transcriptional programmes governing cell fate, immune evasion, and metastatic potential. The tumour microenvironment (TME), comprising stromal, immune, and vascular cell populations, exerts profound epigenetic influences on cancer progression, creating a complex, bidirectional regulatory landscape that drives tumour heterogeneity and treatment resistance. Advances in single-cell RNA sequencing, spatial transcriptomics, and chromatin accessibility profiling now enable the dissection of these interactions at unprecedented resolution, forming a coherent axis from epigenomic mechanism to tumour biology and clinical biomarker discovery.A critical gap persists between the identification of epigenomic alterations in cancer and their translation into validated clinical applications. Epigenetic changes such as DNMT1-mediated DNA methylation reprogramming, chromatin remodelling, and dynamic shifts in chromatin accessibility represent early and potentially reversible events in oncogenesis but remain incompletely characterized, particularly within the complex cellular ecosystems of the TME. Emerging high-resolution technologies, including single-cell RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomics, now offer a means to dissect these layered interactions and advance understanding of tumour evolution. This Research Topic consolidates multi-omics research anchored in epigenomic and chromatin-level mechanisms, bridging molecular tumour biology with biomarker discovery and precision oncology. Ultimately, this Topic contributes to achieving SDG 3, Good Health and Well-being.We welcome submissions addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:o Molecular mechanisms of epigenetic dysregulation in cancer: DNA methylation, histone modification, and tumour suppressor gene silencingo Tumour microenvironment epigenomics: genomic and epigenomic interactions between cancer, stromal, and immune cellso Single-cell RNA sequencing of transcriptomic heterogeneity, cancer cell states, and gene regulatory networkso Spatial transcriptomics for spatially resolved tumour architecture and microenvironmental epigenomicso Chromatin accessibility profiling and epigenetic heterogeneity across cancer types and cell populationso Multi-omics integration for epigenetic biomarker discovery and precision oncology applications Topic editors: Sampara Vasishta, Navya Prabhu Basrur Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/80600/epigenetic-reprogramming-and-the-tumour-microenvironment-multi-omics-insights-into-cancer-mechanisms-and-biomarker-discovery