School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA.
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2021 Jun 7;376(1826):20200114. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0114. Epub 2021 Apr 19.
Epigenetic information affects gene function by interacting with chromatin, while not changing the DNA sequence itself. However, it has become apparent that the interactions between epigenetic information and chromatin can, in fact, indirectly lead to DNA mutations and ultimately influence genome evolution. This review evaluates the ways in which epigenetic information affects genome sequence and evolution. We discuss how DNA methylation has strong and pervasive effects on DNA sequence evolution in eukaryotic organisms. We also review how the physical interactions arising from the connections between histone proteins and DNA affect DNA mutation and repair. We then discuss how a variety of epigenetic mechanisms exert substantial effects on genome evolution by suppressing the movement of transposable elements. Finally, we examine how genome expansion through gene duplication is also partially controlled by epigenetic information. Overall, we conclude that epigenetic information has widespread indirect effects on DNA sequences in eukaryotes and represents a potent cause and constraint of genome evolution. This article is part of the theme issue 'How does epigenetics influence the course of evolution?'
表观遗传信息通过与染色质相互作用来影响基因功能，而不改变 DNA 序列本身。然而，很明显，表观遗传信息与染色质之间的相互作用实际上可以间接导致 DNA 突变，并最终影响基因组进化。本综述评估了表观遗传信息影响基因组序列和进化的方式。我们讨论了 DNA 甲基化如何对真核生物中 DNA 序列进化产生强烈而普遍的影响。我们还回顾了组蛋白蛋白与 DNA 之间的连接所产生的物理相互作用如何影响 DNA 突变和修复。然后，我们讨论了各种表观遗传机制如何通过抑制转座元件的运动对基因组进化产生实质性影响。最后，我们研究了通过基因复制进行基因组扩张如何部分受到表观遗传信息的控制。总的来说，我们得出结论，表观遗传信息对真核生物中的 DNA 序列有广泛的间接影响，是基因组进化的一个有力的原因和约束。本文是主题为“表观遗传学如何影响进化过程？”的特刊的一部分。
