Oliveira Ana M M
Department of Neurobiology, Interdisciplinary Center for Neurosciences (IZN), University of Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
Learn Mem. 2016 Sep 15;23(10):587-93. doi: 10.1101/lm.042739.116. Print 2016 Oct.
DNA methylation was traditionally viewed as a static mechanism required during cell fate determination. This view has been challenged and it is now accepted that DNA methylation is involved in the regulation of genomic responses in mature neurons, particularly in cognitive functions. The evidence for a role of DNA methylation in memory formation and maintenance comes from the increasing number of studies that have assessed the effects of manipulation of DNA methylation modifiers in the ability to form and maintain memories. Moreover, insights from genome-wide analyses of the hippocampal DNA methylation status after neuronal activity show that DNA methylation is dynamically regulated. Despite all the experimental evidence, we are still far from having a clear picture of how DNA methylation regulates long-term adaptations. This review aims on one hand to describe the findings that led to the confirmation of DNA methylation as an important player in memory formation. On the other hand, it tries to integrate these discoveries into the current views of how memories are formed and maintained.
传统上，DNA甲基化被视为细胞命运决定过程中所需的一种静态机制。这一观点已受到挑战，现在人们普遍认为，DNA甲基化参与成熟神经元基因组反应的调控，尤其是在认知功能方面。DNA甲基化在记忆形成和维持中发挥作用的证据来自越来越多的研究，这些研究评估了DNA甲基化修饰剂的操作对形成和维持记忆能力的影响。此外，对神经元活动后海马体DNA甲基化状态进行全基因组分析的结果表明，DNA甲基化是动态调控的。尽管有所有这些实验证据，但我们距离清楚了解DNA甲基化如何调节长期适应性仍有很大差距。本综述一方面旨在描述那些证实DNA甲基化是记忆形成中重要参与者的研究结果。另一方面，它试图将这些发现整合到当前关于记忆如何形成和维持的观点中。
