Department of Biochemistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, 342005, India.
Tuberculosis (Edinb). 2021 May;128:102077. doi: 10.1016/j.tube.2021.102077. Epub 2021 Mar 12.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) has co-evolved with humans for decades and developed several mechanisms to evade host immunity. It can efficiently alter the host epigenome, thus playing a major role in immunomodulation by either activating or suppressing genes responsible for mounting an immune response against the pathogen. Epigenetic modifications such as DNA methylation and chromatin remodelling regulate gene expression and influence several cellular processes. The involvement of epigenetic factors in disease onset and development had been overlooked upon in comparison to genetic mutations. It is now believed that assessment of epigenetic changes hold great potential in diagnosis, prevention and treatment strategies for a wide range of diseases. In this review, we unravel the principles of epigenetics and the numerous ways by which MTB re-shapes the host epigenetic landscape as a strategy to overpower the host immune system for its survival and persistence.
结核分枝杆菌（MTB）与人类共同进化了几十年，并发展了几种逃避宿主免疫的机制。它可以有效地改变宿主的表观基因组，从而通过激活或抑制负责对病原体产生免疫反应的基因，在免疫调节中发挥主要作用。表观遗传修饰，如 DNA 甲基化和染色质重塑，调节基因表达并影响多种细胞过程。与遗传突变相比，人们忽视了表观遗传因素在疾病发生和发展中的作用。现在人们相信，评估表观遗传变化在广泛的疾病的诊断、预防和治疗策略中有很大的潜力。在这篇综述中，我们揭示了表观遗传学的原理，以及 MTB 重塑宿主表观基因组的多种方式，以此作为一种策略来战胜宿主免疫系统以实现其生存和持久性。
