Center for Genes, Environment, and Health, National Jewish Health,Denver, CO 80206, USA.
Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2011 May 15;183(10):1295-301. doi: 10.1164/rccm.201010-1579PP.
Epigenetics is traditionally defined as the study of heritable changes in gene expression caused by mechanisms other than changes in the underlying DNA sequence. There are three main classes of epigenetic marks--DNA methylation, modifications of histone tails, and noncoding RNAs--each of which may be influenced by the environment, diet, diseases, and ageing. Importantly, epigenetic marks have been shown to influence immune cell maturation and are associated with the risk of developing various forms of cancer, including lung cancer. Moreover, there is emerging evidence that these epigenetic marks affect gene expression in the lung and are associated with benign lung diseases, such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and interstitial lung disease. Technological advances have made it feasible to study epigenetic marks in the lung, and it is anticipated that this knowledge will enhance our understanding of the dynamic biology in the lung and lead to the development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for our patients with lung disease.
表观遗传学传统上被定义为研究由除了基础 DNA 序列改变以外的机制引起的基因表达的可遗传变化。有三种主要的表观遗传标记——DNA 甲基化、组蛋白尾巴的修饰和非编码 RNA——每一种都可能受到环境、饮食、疾病和衰老的影响。重要的是，表观遗传标记已被证明会影响免疫细胞的成熟，并与各种癌症（包括肺癌）的发病风险有关。此外，有新的证据表明，这些表观遗传标记会影响肺部的基因表达，并与良性肺部疾病有关，如哮喘、慢性阻塞性肺疾病和间质性肺疾病。技术的进步使得在肺部研究表观遗传标记成为可能，人们预计这一知识将增强我们对肺部动态生物学的理解，并为我们的肺部疾病患者开发新的诊断和治疗方法。
