Chung Henry, Sidhu Kuldip S
Stem Cell Lab, Faculty of Medicine, School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Stem Cells Cloning. 2008 Nov 17;1:11-21. doi: 10.2147/sccaa.s3566.
Epigenetics is a growing field not only in the area of cancer research but recently in stem cells including human embryonic stem cell (hESC) research. The hallmark of profiling epigenetic changes in stem cells lies in maintaining pluripotency or multipotency and in attaining lineage specifications that are relevant for regenerative medicine. Epigenetic modifications including DNA methylation, histone acetylation and methylation, play important roles in regulating gene expressions. Other epigenetic modifications include X chromosome silencing, genomic stability and imprinting and mammalian development. This review attempts to elucidate the mechanism(s) behind epigenetic modifications and review techniques scientists use for identifying each modification. We also discuss some of the trends of epigenetic modifications in the fields of directed differentiation of embryonic stem cells and de-differentiation of somatic cells.
表观遗传学不仅在癌症研究领域，而且最近在包括人类胚胎干细胞（hESC）研究在内的干细胞领域，都是一个不断发展的领域。在干细胞中描绘表观遗传变化的标志在于维持多能性或多潜能性，以及实现与再生医学相关的细胞谱系特化。包括DNA甲基化、组蛋白乙酰化和甲基化在内的表观遗传修饰在调节基因表达中发挥着重要作用。其他表观遗传修饰包括X染色体失活、基因组稳定性、印记和哺乳动物发育。本综述试图阐明表观遗传修饰背后的机制，并回顾科学家用于识别每种修饰的技术。我们还讨论了胚胎干细胞定向分化和体细胞去分化领域中表观遗传修饰的一些趋势。
