Passeri Iacopo, Vaccaro Francesca, Mengoni Alessio, Fagorzi Camilla
Department of Biology, University of Florence, 50121 Firenze, Italy.
Int J Mol Sci. 2024 Apr 17;25(8):4425. doi: 10.3390/ijms25084425.
The universality of DNA methylation as an epigenetic regulatory mechanism belongs to all biological kingdoms. However, while eukaryotic systems have been the primary focus of DNA methylation studies, the molecular mechanisms in prokaryotes are less known. Nevertheless, DNA methylation in prokaryotes plays a pivotal role in many cellular processes such as defense systems against exogenous DNA, cell cycle dynamics, and gene expression, including virulence. Thanks to single-molecule DNA sequencing technologies, genome-wide identification of methylated DNA is becoming feasible on a large scale, providing the possibility to investigate more deeply the presence, variability, and roles of DNA methylation. Here, we present an overview of the multifaceted roles of DNA methylation in prokaryotes and suggest research directions and tools which can enable us to better understand the contribution of DNA methylation to prokaryotic genome evolution and adaptation. In particular, we emphasize the need to understand the presence and role of transgenerational inheritance, as well as the impact of epigenomic signatures on adaptation and genome evolution. Research directions and the importance of novel computational tools are underlined.
DNA甲基化作为一种表观遗传调控机制具有普遍性，存在于所有生物界。然而，虽然真核生物系统一直是DNA甲基化研究的主要焦点，但原核生物中的分子机制却鲜为人知。尽管如此，原核生物中的DNA甲基化在许多细胞过程中发挥着关键作用，如对外源DNA的防御系统、细胞周期动态以及包括毒力在内的基因表达。得益于单分子DNA测序技术，全基因组范围内甲基化DNA的鉴定正变得大规模可行，这为更深入研究DNA甲基化的存在、变异性及其作用提供了可能性。在此，我们概述了DNA甲基化在原核生物中的多方面作用，并提出了研究方向和工具，这些能使我们更好地理解DNA甲基化对原核生物基因组进化和适应性的贡献。特别是，我们强调需要了解跨代遗传的存在和作用，以及表观基因组特征对适应性和基因组进化的影响。同时强调了研究方向和新型计算工具的重要性。
