Division of Infection and Immunity, University College London, 90 Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
Division of Infection and Immunity, University College London, 90 Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
Curr Opin Virol. 2017 Aug;25:28-33. doi: 10.1016/j.coviro.2017.06.007. Epub 2017 Jul 1.
Retrotransposons tune immune reactivity in differentiated cells because when they are transcribed, their nucleic acids can be viewed as non-self leading to innate immune sensing. Most retrotransposons, however, are subject to transcriptional regulation by a multitude of epigenetic pathways, which have coevolved with them for millions of years. While a lot is known about the epigenetic control of retrotransposons in germ cells and early embryos, surprisingly little is understood about these pathways in adult tissues, particularly in human cells. Recent evidence suggests that retrotransposon repression persists in differentiated cells and is dynamic. Future insight into this topic may teach us how to reactivate or silence specific retrotransposon families, to promote anti-tumor immunity or dampen autoimmunity through epigenetic modulation.
逆转录转座子通过调节分化细胞的免疫反应来发挥作用，因为当它们被转录时，其核酸可被视为非自身物质，从而引发先天免疫感应。然而，大多数逆转录转座子受到多种表观遗传途径的转录调控，这些途径与它们共同进化了数百万年。尽管人们对生殖细胞和早期胚胎中逆转录转座子的表观遗传控制有了很多了解，但对于成年组织，特别是人类细胞中的这些途径却知之甚少。最近的证据表明，逆转录转座子在分化细胞中的抑制作用仍然存在，并且是动态的。对这一课题的进一步研究可能会让我们了解如何通过表观遗传调控来重新激活或沉默特定的逆转录转座子家族，从而促进抗肿瘤免疫或抑制自身免疫。
