Division of Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Adv Nutr. 2012 Jan;3(1):21-38. doi: 10.3945/an.111.000992. Epub 2012 Jan 5.
DNA methylation is an epigenetic modification critical to normal genome regulation and development. The vitamin folate is a key source of the one carbon group used to methylate DNA. Because normal mammalian development is dependent on DNA methylation, there is enormous interest in assessing the potential for changes in folate intake to modulate DNA methylation both as a biomarker for folate status and as a mechanistic link to developmental disorders and chronic diseases including cancer. This review highlights the role of DNA methylation in normal genome function, how it can be altered, and the evidence of the role of folate/folic acid in these processes.
DNA 甲基化是一种至关重要的表观遗传修饰，对于正常的基因组调控和发育至关重要。维生素叶酸是用于甲基化 DNA 的一碳基团的主要来源。由于正常的哺乳动物发育依赖于 DNA 甲基化，因此人们非常感兴趣的是评估叶酸摄入的变化是否有可能调节 DNA 甲基化，作为叶酸状态的生物标志物，并作为与发育障碍和慢性疾病（包括癌症）的机制联系。本综述强调了 DNA 甲基化在正常基因组功能中的作用、它如何被改变，以及叶酸/叶酸在这些过程中的作用的证据。
