The Center of Obesity and Metabolic Diseases, Department of General Surgery, The Third People's Hospital of Chengdu and The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China.
College of Medicine, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China.
Front Immunol. 2024 Sep 23;15:1401962. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1401962. eCollection 2024.
Methylation, a key epigenetic modification, is essential for regulating gene expression and protein function without altering the DNA sequence, contributing to various biological processes, including gene transcription, embryonic development, and cellular functions. Methylation encompasses DNA methylation, RNA methylation and histone modification. Recent research indicates that DNA methylation is vital for establishing and maintaining normal brain functions by modulating the high-order structure of DNA. Alterations in the patterns of DNA methylation can exert significant impacts on both gene expression and cellular function, playing a role in the development of numerous diseases, such as neurological disorders, cardiovascular diseases as well as cancer. Our current understanding of the etiology of neurological diseases emphasizes a multifaceted process that includes neurodegenerative, neuroinflammatory, and neurovascular events. Epigenetic modifications, especially DNA methylation, are fundamental in the control of gene expression and are critical in the onset and progression of neurological disorders. Furthermore, we comprehensively overview the role and mechanism of DNA methylation in in various biological processes and gene regulation in neurological diseases. Understanding the mechanisms and dynamics of DNA methylation in neural development can provide valuable insights into human biology and potentially lead to novel therapies for various neurological diseases.
甲基化是一种关键的表观遗传修饰，对于调节基因表达和蛋白质功能至关重要，而不会改变 DNA 序列，它有助于各种生物过程，包括基因转录、胚胎发育和细胞功能。甲基化包括 DNA 甲基化、RNA 甲基化和组蛋白修饰。最近的研究表明，DNA 甲基化通过调节 DNA 的高级结构，对建立和维持正常的大脑功能至关重要。DNA 甲基化模式的改变可以对基因表达和细胞功能产生重大影响，在许多疾病的发展中发挥作用，如神经退行性疾病、心血管疾病和癌症。我们目前对神经疾病病因的理解强调了一个多方面的过程，包括神经退行性、神经炎症和神经血管事件。表观遗传修饰，特别是 DNA 甲基化，在控制基因表达中起着基础作用，对于神经退行性疾病的发生和进展至关重要。此外，我们全面综述了 DNA 甲基化在神经疾病中各种生物学过程和基因调控中的作用和机制。了解 DNA 甲基化在神经发育中的机制和动态可以为人类生物学提供有价值的见解，并可能为各种神经疾病提供新的治疗方法。
