Dajun Deng
Peking University Cancer Hospital and Institute, Beijing 100142, China.
Yi Chuan. 2014 May;36(5):403-10.
DNA methylation plays important roles in cell differentiation, embryonic development, host adaptations to environmental factors, and pathogenesis through regulation of gene transcription and imprinting, X-inactivation, and defense of foreign genetic material invasion, is currently one of the hottest research fields on epigenetics. In the past few years, a number of important findings on DNA methylation have been achieved. These findings include discovery of TETs-catalyzed cytosine hydroxymethylation and its functions in the early embryonic development; the relationship between active and passive DNA demethylation; establishment and maintenance of DNA methylation patterns and their associations with histone modifications, chromatin configuration, polycomb group proteins and non-coding RNA bindings. DNA methylation has become a new potential biomarker and therapy target.
DNA甲基化通过调控基因转录与印记、X染色体失活以及对外源遗传物质入侵的防御，在细胞分化、胚胎发育、宿主对环境因素的适应以及发病机制中发挥着重要作用，是目前表观遗传学领域最热门的研究方向之一。在过去几年里，关于DNA甲基化取得了许多重要发现。这些发现包括TET催化的胞嘧啶羟甲基化及其在早期胚胎发育中的功能；主动和被动DNA去甲基化之间的关系；DNA甲基化模式的建立与维持及其与组蛋白修饰、染色质构型、多梳蛋白家族和非编码RNA结合的关联。DNA甲基化已成为一种新的潜在生物标志物和治疗靶点。
