Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida.
Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2018 Mar;58(3):299-309. doi: 10.1165/rcmb.2017-0072TR.
Asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and cystic fibrosis are three chronic pulmonary diseases that affect an estimated 420 million individuals across the globe. A key factor contributing to each of these conditions is mucus hypersecretion. Although management of these diseases is vastly studied, researchers have only begun to scratch the surface of the mechanisms contributing to mucus hypersecretion. Epigenetic regulation of mucus hypersecretion, other than microRNA post-translational modification, is even more scarcely researched. Detailed study of epigenetic mechanisms, such as DNA methylation and histone modification, could not only help to better the understanding of these respiratory conditions but also reveal new treatments for them. Because mucus hypersecretion is such a complex event, there are innumerable genes involved in the process, which are beyond the scope of a single review. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to narrow the focus and summarize specific epigenetic research that has been conducted on a few aspects of mucus hypersecretion in asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cystic fibrosis, and some cancers. Specifically, this review emphasizes the contribution of DNA methylation and histone modification of particular genes involved in mucus hypersecretion to identify possible targets for the development of future therapies for these conditions. Elucidating the role of epigenetics in these respiratory diseases may provide a breath of fresh air to millions of affected individuals around the world.
哮喘、慢性阻塞性肺疾病和囊性纤维化是三种影响全球约 4.2 亿人的慢性肺部疾病。导致这些疾病的一个关键因素是黏液过度分泌。尽管这些疾病的管理得到了广泛研究，但研究人员才刚刚开始研究导致黏液过度分泌的机制。除了 microRNA 翻译后修饰之外，对黏液过度分泌的表观遗传调控的研究甚至更少。对表观遗传机制（如 DNA 甲基化和组蛋白修饰）的详细研究不仅有助于更好地了解这些呼吸系统疾病，而且还可以为这些疾病提供新的治疗方法。因为黏液过度分泌是一个非常复杂的事件，所以有无数的基因参与其中，这超出了单一综述的范围。因此，本综述的目的是缩小焦点，总结在哮喘、慢性阻塞性肺疾病、囊性纤维化和一些癌症中黏液过度分泌的几个方面进行的特定表观遗传研究。具体来说，本综述强调了参与黏液过度分泌的特定基因的 DNA 甲基化和组蛋白修饰的贡献，以确定这些疾病未来治疗方法的可能靶点。阐明表观遗传学在这些呼吸系统疾病中的作用可能会为全球数以百万计的受影响个体带来新的希望。
