Department of Medicine, University of Tennessee College of Medicine, Memphis, Tennessee, USA.
Memphis VA Medical Center, Research Service, Memphis, Tennessee, USA.
Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2022 Sep;34(9):e14443. doi: 10.1111/nmo.14443. Epub 2022 Aug 10.
Epigenetics is a process that alters gene activity or phenotype without any changes in the underlying DNA sequence or genotype. These biological changes may have deleterious effects and can lead to various human diseases. Ongoing research is continuing to illuminate the role of epigenetics in a variety of pathophysiologic processes. Several categories of epigenetic mechanisms have been studied including chromatin remodeling, DNA methylation, histone modification, and non-coding RNA mechanisms. These epigenetic changes can have a long-term effect on gene expression without any underlying changes in the DNA sequences. The underlying pathophysiology of disorders of brain-gut interaction and stress-induced visceral pain are not fully understood and the role of epigenetic mechanisms in these disorders are starting to be better understood. Current work is underway to determine how epigenetics plays a role in the neurobiology of patients with chronic visceral pain and heightened visceral nociception. More recently, both animal models and human studies have shown how epigenetic regulation modulates stress-induced visceral pain. While much more work is needed to fully delineate the mechanistic role of epigenetics in the neurobiology of chronic visceral nociception, the current study by Louwies et al., in Neurogastroenterology and Motility provides additional evidence supporting the involvement of epigenetic alterations in the central nucleus of the amygdala in stress-induced visceral hypersensitivity in rodents.
表观遗传学是一种在不改变潜在 DNA 序列或基因型的情况下改变基因活性或表型的过程。这些生物学变化可能具有有害影响，并可导致各种人类疾病。目前的研究继续阐明表观遗传学在各种病理生理过程中的作用。已经研究了几种表观遗传机制，包括染色质重塑、DNA 甲基化、组蛋白修饰和非编码 RNA 机制。这些表观遗传变化可以对基因表达产生长期影响，而 DNA 序列没有任何潜在变化。脑肠相互作用障碍和应激诱导内脏疼痛的潜在病理生理学尚未完全了解，这些疾病中表观遗传机制的作用开始得到更好的理解。目前正在进行研究以确定表观遗传学在慢性内脏疼痛和内脏痛觉过敏患者的神经生物学中的作用。最近，动物模型和人类研究都表明，表观遗传调控如何调节应激诱导的内脏疼痛。虽然需要做更多的工作来充分阐明表观遗传学在慢性内脏痛觉过敏的神经生物学中的机制作用，但 Louwies 等人在《神经胃肠病学与运动学》上的研究提供了更多证据，支持在应激诱导的内脏敏感性中，表观遗传改变涉及杏仁中央核在啮齿动物中。
