The phrase
"abnormal methylation" refers to a situation where chemical tags called methyl groups attach to the DNA in an unusual or inappropriate way. This can cause changes in gene expression, which may lead to different health conditions or diseases.
Full definition
Their analysis of data in previous studies done by The Cancer Genome Atlas group have shown that the types
of abnormal methylation levels they found are lower in smokers who have quit for more than 10 years than those who have not quit.
Kimmel Cancer Center scientists developed drugs and compounds that block: genes altered
by abnormal methylation; mutated genes; and, blood supplies to tumor cells.
Moreover, a 2012 National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences study, looking at more than 1,000 babies of mothers who smoked during pregnancy, identified 10 genes
with abnormal methylation.
Aberrant DNA methylation, or
abnormal methylation, has been associated with an increased rate of malignancy.
Methylation is a fundamental biochemical process that helps regulate which genes are expressed;
abnormal methylation can cause disease.