Wang Sumei, Wu Wanyin, Claret Francois X
a Department of Oncology , Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine , Guangzhou, Guangdong , P. R. China.
b Department of Systems Biology , The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center , Houston , TX , USA.
Epigenetics. 2017 Mar 4;12(3):187-197. doi: 10.1080/15592294.2016.1273308. Epub 2017 Jan 6.
microRNAs (miRNAs) and DNA methylation are the 2 epigenetic modifications that have emerged in recent years as the most critical players in the regulation of gene expression. Compelling evidence has indicated the roles of miRNAs and DNA methylation in modulating cellular transformation and tumorigenesis. miRNAs act as negative regulators of gene expression and are involved in the regulation of both physiologic conditions and during diseases, such as cancer, inflammatory diseases, and psychiatric disorders, among others. Meanwhile, aberrant DNA methylation manifests in both global genome changes and in localized gene promoter changes, which influences the transcription of cancer genes. In this review, we described the mutual regulation of miRNAs and DNA methylation in human cancers. miRNAs regulate DNA methylation by targeting DNA methyltransferases or methylation-related proteins. On the other hand, both hyper- and hypo-methylation of miRNAs occur frequently in human cancers and represent a new level of complexity in gene regulation. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms underlying the mutual regulation of miRNAs and DNA methylation may provide helpful insights in the development of efficient therapeutic approaches.
微小RNA（miRNA）和DNA甲基化是近年来出现的两种表观遗传修饰，它们是基因表达调控中最关键的因素。有力证据表明，miRNA和DNA甲基化在调节细胞转化和肿瘤发生中发挥作用。miRNA作为基因表达的负调控因子，参与生理状态以及疾病（如癌症、炎症性疾病和精神疾病等）过程的调控。同时，异常的DNA甲基化表现为全基因组变化和局部基因启动子变化，这会影响癌症基因的转录。在本综述中，我们描述了人类癌症中miRNA与DNA甲基化的相互调控。miRNA通过靶向DNA甲基转移酶或甲基化相关蛋白来调控DNA甲基化。另一方面，miRNA的高甲基化和低甲基化在人类癌症中均频繁发生，代表了基因调控中一个新的复杂层面。因此，了解miRNA与DNA甲基化相互调控的机制可能为开发有效的治疗方法提供有益的见解。
