Wuxi School of Medicine, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu214122, China.
The Affiliated Luoyang Central Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Luoyang, Henan471000, China.
Expert Rev Mol Med. 2021 Mar 31;23:e2. doi: 10.1017/erm.2021.4.
Methylation at DNA, RNA and protein levels plays critical roles in many cellular processes and is associated with diverse differentiation events, physiological activities and human diseases. To aid in the diagnostic and therapeutic design for cancer treatment utilising methylation, this review provides a boutique yet comprehensive overview on methylation at different levels including the mechanisms, cross-talking and clinical implications with a particular focus on cancers. We conclude that DNA methylation is the sole type of methylation that has been largely translated into clinics and used for, mostly, early diagnosis. Translating the onco-therapeutic and prognostic values of RNA and protein methylations into clinical use deserves intensive efforts. Simultaneous examination of methylations at multiple levels or together with other forms of molecular markers represents an interesting research direction with profound clinical translational potential.
DNA、RNA 和蛋白质水平的甲基化在许多细胞过程中起着关键作用，并与多种分化事件、生理活动和人类疾病有关。为了辅助基于甲基化的癌症治疗的诊断和治疗设计，本综述提供了一个独特而全面的概述，包括不同水平的甲基化的机制、串扰和临床意义，特别关注癌症。我们的结论是，DNA 甲基化是唯一一种已在很大程度上转化为临床并用于早期诊断的甲基化类型。将 RNA 和蛋白质甲基化的治疗和预后价值转化为临床应用值得付出巨大努力。同时检查多个水平的甲基化或与其他形式的分子标记一起检查代表了一个具有深远临床转化潜力的有趣研究方向。
