Tumor suppressors can be inactivated through various mechanisms:
1. Genetic Mutations: Point mutations, deletions, or insertions in the DNA can lead to the loss of function of tumor suppressor genes. 2. Epigenetic Changes: Methylation of the promoter region of tumor suppressor genes can silence their expression without altering the DNA sequence. 3. Loss of Heterozygosity (LOH): This refers to the loss of the normal functioning allele of a gene when the other allele was already inactivated. 4. Protein Degradation: Some viruses can produce proteins that target tumor suppressors for degradation, such as the HPV E6 protein degrading p53.
