Epigenetic mechanism of myopia / 中华实验眼科杂志

Myopia has become a serious public health problem, but its pathogenesis is still unclear, and effective interventions are relatively scarce.It is recognized that myopia is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors, in which epigenetics may play a key role.Epigenetics refers to the changes in gene expression and function that do not involve DNA sequence variation.Mainly including DNA methylation, non-coding RNA (microRNA, long non-coding RNA and circular RNA, etc.), histone modification and mRNA modification, epigenetic modifications interact to form a complex regulatory network in the pathophysiological process of myopia.By controlling the process of scleral matrix remodeling, eye cell proliferation and retinal development, the morphological characteristics of the eye are jointly regulated, ultimately affecting the onset and development of myopia.Epigenetics has provided new targets of myopia intervention and has become a hotspot in the field.In this paper, we reviewed the current findings of myopia epigenetics to provide a reference for related research.

Research Progress on Epigenetics in Endometriosis / 中国医学科学院学报

Epigenetics refers to heritable changes in gene expression and function without alterations in gene sequences,including DNA methylation,histone modification,and non-coding RNAs.Endometriosis is a benign gynecological disease that affects the fertility and health of reproductive-age women,the etiology of which remains unclear.The recent studies have demonstrated that epigenetics plays a key role in the occurrence and development of endometriosis.This article reviews the research progress in the regulatory mechanism and application of epigenetics in endometriosis.

Advances in epigenetic regulation of Chinese hamster ovary cells / 生物工程学报

Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells play an irreplaceable role in biopharmaceuticals because the cells can be adapted to grow in suspension cultures and are capable of producing high quality biologics exhibiting human-like post-translational modifications. However, gene expression regulation such as transgene silencing and epigenetic modifications may reduce the recombinant protein production due to the decrease of expression stability of CHO cells. This paper summarized the role of epigenetic modifications in CHO cells, including DNA methylation, histone modification and miRNA, as well as their effects on gene expression regulation.

Advances in histone epigenetic enzyme inhibitors based on proteomics / 药学学报

As an important component of nucleosomes on the chromatin of eukaryotic cells, histones play an important role in the development and progression of tumour diseases by regulating epigenetic post-translational modifications such as acetylation and methylation. In addition, development of inhibitors targeting methyltransferase and deacetylase provides novel therapeutic strategies for cancer treatment. Mass spectrometry-based proteomics can reveal the global changes of histone modifications under the action of drugs during disease progression, which in turn provides important support for revealing drug action mechanism, drug resistance mechanism, and investigating novel drug combination strategies. This article focuses on the progress and status of proteomic research on a variety of histone modifying enzyme inhibitors, including methyltransferase inhibitors and histone deacetylase inhibitors, which will help to understand the current and further utilization of proteomics in studying histone modifications.

Link between obsessive-compulsive disorder and polymorphisms in HDAC genes

Objective: Recently, epigenetic mechanisms related to histone modifications including histone deacetylation (HDAC) have been emphasized in psychiatric diseases. Few studies have investigated the relationship of HDAC gene variations to psychiatric diseases, but these gene variations have never been studied in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The present case-control study aimed to compare symptomatology with HDAC gene variations in patients with OCD. Methods: Illumina next-generation sequencing of six HDAC genes (HDAC2,3,4,9,10,11) was performed on DNA samples isolated from 200 Turkish subjects recruited from routine clinical practice. Twenty-seven single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) in six HDAC genes were scanned with the LightSNiP method. Results: New variants, all previously unreported in the literature, were identified in the HDAC4, HDAC10, and HDAC11 genes. When control and OCD patient groups were compared, a statistically significant difference was found in HDAC2 rs13212283, HDAC4 rs1063639, and HDAC10 rs1555048 in terms of genotype distribution (p < 0.05). In addition, in the OCD group, a statistically significant relationship was found between some obsessions/compulsions and HDAC2, HDAC3, and HDAC4 polymorphisms (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Our study shows that the HDAC2, HDAC3, HDAC4, and HDAC10 genes may play a role in the pathogenesis of OCD.

Beauty of Chromatin Structure: Chromatin Accessibility / 中国生物化学与分子生物学报

Chromatin accessibility is one of the important indicators to evaluate the stability of chromatin structure, which is used to evaluate the binding ability of chromatin binding factors to chromosome DNA. It plays an important role in different nuclear processes, including gene transcription regulation and DNA damage repair. Abnormal regulation of chromatin accessibility is closely related to the occurrence and development of a variety of diseases, including tumors and neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, exploration of this attribute has become a hot spot in the field of life science and disease. More and more new technologies came into being, such as chromatin conformation capture, high-throughput sequencing, and the combination of these two technologies. With the progress of technology, more and more factors involved in the regulation of chromosome accessibility have been found and summarized, including nucleosome occupation, histone modification and non-coding RNA. A number of large-scale genomic data have drawn the chromatin accessibility map of a variety of diseases, which provides data support for revealing the relationship between the occurrence and development of diseases and chromatin accessibility. Meanwhile, with the development of single-cell chromatin accessibility sequencing technology, the investigation for division of cell types at chromatin level was achieved, which makes up for the deficiency of solely relying on gene expression for cell type division. This review will explain the development and prospect of the research about chromatin accessibility from the aspects of chromatin composition and accessibility, factors affecting chromatin accessibility, detection methods of chromatin accessibility, and its roles in cancer, briefly.

Research Progress in Epigenetics of Pancreatitis-cancer Transformation / 肿瘤防治研究

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is one of the most common malignant tumors. Its early diagnosis and treatment are very difficult, and the mortality and recurrence rate are high. Chronic pancreatitis is an important risk factor for pancreatic cancer and has great potential to develop into pancreatic cancer. Therefore, it is necessary to study the mechanism of pancreatitis-cancer transformation for early diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer. In recent years, more and more studies have shown that epigenetic modification plays an important role in pancreatitis-cancer transformation, and can provide an effective target for the diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer. This article summarizes the role and mechanism of epigenetics in pancreatitis-cancer transformation based on the current research progress.

Involvement of histone modifications in process of uterine injury alleviated by TSA in female mice induced by cigarette smoke exposure / 中国药理学通报

Aim To explore whether histone modifications are involved in the process of uterine injury alleviated by TSA in female mice induced by cigarette smoke (CS) exposure. Methods Female mice were exposed to CS twice daily for 30 days and TSA was injected intraperitoneally into CS-exposed mice on alternate days in the TSA-treated group. HE staining was used to observe the morphological changes of mice uterus after CS exposure; Western blot was used to assess the global modification levels of H3K4mel, H3K4me2, H3K4me3, H3K9mel, H3K9me2, H3K9me3 and H3K27me3 in uteri. GLP (H3K9 his-tone methyltransferase) , G9a (H3K9 histone methyl- transferase) , EZH2 (H3K27me3 histone methyltrans ferase ). Results TSA effectively restored the number of glandular and interstitial cells reduced by CS exposure. Western blot results showed that TSA significantly inhibited global H3K9mel modification and further aggravated H3K27me3 change induced by CS exposure. Furthermore TSA suppressed GLP and G9n expression in mouse uterine tissue induced by CS exposure, but further activated EZH2 increase. Conclusions Histone modifications are involved in the process of uterine injury alleviated by TSA in female mice induced by cigarette smoke exposure.

Research progress on epigenetics of interferon in systemic lupus erythematosus / 中国药理学通报

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease with various clinical manifestations and complex pathogenesis, characterized by loss of immune tolerance to autoantigens and production of large amounts of autoantibodies. Interferon (I F N) signaling pathway is one of the pathogenetic pathways widely recognized at present. In recent years, the correlation between IFN signaling and epigenetic modification in the occurrence and development of SLE has beena research hotspot. And in this paper, the relevant studies are reviewed in order to provide new research ideas for the pathogenesis of SLE.

The roles of epigenetic modifications in neurodegenerative diseases / 浙江大学学报·医学版

In neuronal system, epigenetic modifications are essential for neuronal development, the fate determination of neural stem cells and neuronal function. The dysfunction of epigenetic regulation is closely related to occurrence and development of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease. Abnormally elevated DNA methylation inhibits the expression of some DNA repair-related genes and affects the progression of Huntington's disease. In the brain of Alzheimer's disease patients, the levels of H3K27ac and H3K9ac histone modifications increased. In addition, the alteration of RNA methylation in animal models of Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease showed discrepancy trends. Therefore, epigenetic modifications may serve as potential therapeutic targets for neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we summarize the recent progress of the roles of epigenetic modifications in neurodegenerative diseases.

Research advances on epigenetics and cancer metabolism / 浙江大学学报·医学版

Epigenetics concerns gene regulatory mechanisms beyond DNA sequence，such as DNA methylation，histone modification，chromatin remodeling，and non-coding RNA. Epigenetic mechanisms play a key role in development，cell fate decision and tumorigenesis. Chromatin modifications and its high order structure across our genome are major forms of epigenetic information，and its establishment and maintenance are closely related to cell metabolism. Metabolic changes in cancer cells include aerobic glycolysis，increased glucose uptake，abnormally active glutamine metabolism，and the use of non-conventional energy supply. These changes meet the vigorous energy and matter needs for the development and spread of cancer，and help tumor cells adapt to hypoxia microenvironment for their survival，proliferation，invasion and migration. There is a complex relationship between epigenetic modifications and cell metabolism in tumor. On the one hand，metabolites in tumor cells may act as cofactors，modification donors or antagonists of epigenetic enzymes，thus modulating the epigenetic landscape. On the other hand，epigenetic modifications can directly regulate the expression of metabolic enzymes，transporters，signaling pathway and transcription factors to affect cell metabolism. This article reviews the crosstalk between epigenetics and cancer metabolism，to explore their potential future applications in the treatment of tumors.

The role of histone modifications in leukemogenesis

Histone modifications play a critical role in coordinating accurate gene expression. Aside from geneticmutations which cause altered DNA sequence, it has become increasingly clear that aberrant post-translationalmodifications of histone tails are also associated with leukemogenesis. The functional roles of specific histonemarks has informed the basis of our understanding for underlying mechanisms of leukemia, while globalanalyses of interacting histone modifications has begun to distinguish subtypes of leukemia with prognosticand therapeutic implications. In this current era of personalized and precision medicine, it will be necessary tonot only identify the specific genetic mutations present in a patient’s leukemia but to also appreciate thedynamic chromatin states which are driven by histone modifications that can aid our diagnostic and therapeuticstrategies for improved management of leukemia.

When histones are under glucose starvation

Under nutritional stress, cells undergo metabolic rewiring that results in changes of various cellular processesthat include gene transcription. This transcriptional regulation requires dynamic chromatin remodeling thatinvolves histone post-translational modifications. There are several histone marks that may act as switchesupon starvation for stress-response pathways.

Autophagy and epigenetic modification in inflammatory bowel disease / 中国组织工程研究

BACKGROUND: Inflammatory bowel disease is a chronic inflammatory disease associated with intestinal immune, and autophagy is a cell approach to promote immune regulation. Abnormal expression of autophagy-related genes is closely related to intestinal inflammation and immune response. However, the mechanism by which epigenetic modification regulates autophagy in inflammatory bowel disease has not been fully clarified. OBJECTIVE: To introduce the role of epigenetic modification in autophagy, and to promote a further understanding of inflammatory bowel disease. METHODS: A computer-based online research of PubMed database was performed with the key words of “inflammatory bowel disease, autophagy, autophagy-related genes, epigenetic modification, DNA methylation, histone modification, chromatin remodeling, miRNA.” The search time was from January 1998 to April 2019. Finally, 61 eligible articles were included in result analysis. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Epigenetic modifications such as DNA methylation, histone modification, chromatin remodeling, non-coding RNA can regulate intestinal inflammation, immune and autophagy through susceptibility genes AGL and IRGM, thereby mediating the occurrence and development of inflammatory bowel disease.

Advances of epigenetic mechanism of tetralogy of Fallot / 国际儿科学杂志

Epigenetics refers to the heritable changes of gene expression without altering DNA sequence.Epigentic mechanism involves DNA methylation,microRNA,histone modification and so on.Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) is a common congenital heart disease characterized by ventricular septal defect,pulmonary stenosis,aortic straddling and right ventricular hypertrophy.Many experimental investigations indicate that epigentics plays an important role in the development of the heart.It will be an important research field in the future showing important clinical significance to study the etiology of tetralogy of Fallot.

Epigenetic and oral squamous cell carcinoma / 口腔疾病防治

@#In recent decades, although great progress has been made on the diagnosis and treatment of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), its 5-year survival rate has not been significantly improved. The basic reason is the unclear pathogenesis, lack of effective molecular markers for assessing invasion, metastasis, and recurrence as well as therapeutic targets. The present view is that genetic and epigenetic abnormalities are related to the occurrence and development of OSCC. Epigenetic inheritance is a biological behavior that can be regulated and reversed, and it plays an important role in the occurrence and development of malignant tumors. First, this review will describe the role of epigenetic modifications in the development of OSCC in combination with our research and the latest research progress of epigenetics, including DNA methylation, RNA methylation, short noncoding RNAs (miRNAs, etc.), long noncoding RNAs, circular RNAs, histone modifications (acetylation and methylation), chromatin remodeling and genomic imprinting. Then, we will analyze the value of epigenetic studies in the prevention, diagnosis, and targeted therapy of OSCC.

Advances of epigenetic mechanism of tetralogy of Fallot / 国际儿科学杂志

Epigenetics refers to the heritable changes of gene expression without altering DNA sequence.Epigentic mechanism involves DNA methylation, microRNA, histone modification and so on.Tetralogy of Fallot(TOF)is a common congenital heart disease characterized by ventricular septal defect, pulmonary stenosis, aortic straddling and right ventricular hypertrophy.Many experimental investigations indicate that epigentics plays an important role in the development of the heart.It will be an important research field in the future showing important clinical significance to study the etiology of tetralogy of Fallot.

Recent Advances of Epigenetics in Heart Failure / 中国医学科学院学报

Heart failure(HF)is the terminal stage of cardiovascular diseases and has long been one of the most deadly condition due to its high morbidity and mortality.Since the currently available treatment options cannot meet the clinical needs,new therapeutic strategies for HF should be actively explored.Epigenetics does not involve the changes of genetic sequences but focuses on the stable inheritance of genes in different individuals.It is affected by the interaction between genes and environments,which may result in DNA methylation,histone modification,and other changes.This article summarizes the recent research advances in epigenetics in HF.

Epigenetic Landscape Changes Due to Acupuncture Treatment: From Clinical to Basic Research / 中国结合医学杂志

Acupuncture has been widely used for treating diseases since the ancient days in China, but the mechanism by which acupuncture exerts such powerful roles is unclear. Epigenetics, including DNA methylation, histone modification, and post-transcriptional regulation of miRNAs, is the study of heritable changes in gene expression that do not include DNA sequence alterations. Epigenetics has become a new strategy for the basic and clinical research of acupuncture in the last decade. Some investigators have been trying to illustrate the mechanism of acupuncture from an epigenetics perspective, which has shed new lights on the mechanisms and applications of acupuncture. Moreover, the introduction of epigenetics into the regulatory mechanism in acupuncture treatment has provided more objective and scientific support for acupuncture theories and brought new opportunities for the improvement of acupuncture studies. In this paper, we reviewed the literatures that has demonstrated that acupuncture could directly or indirectly affect epigenetics, in order to highlight the progress of acupuncture studies correlated to epigenetic regulations. We do have to disclose that the current evidence in this review is not enough to cover all the complex interactions between multiple epigenetic modifications and their regulations. However, the up-to-date results can help us to better understand acupuncture's clinical applications and laboratory research.

Research progress on epigenetic regulation-based mechanistic studies of Chinese herbal medicines in treatment of rheumatoid arthritis / 中国药理学通报

Epigenetic modifications represent an important mechanism underlying regulation of gene expression that enables human body to adapt to the changing environment. Research methods of epigenetic modifications are a frontier area for the study of molecular mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. Rheumatoid arthritis ( RA) has been one of the difficulties in both clinical and basic-research fields of autoimmune diseases. Hie etiology of RA remains elusive, and its pathogenesis involves complex immune and inflammatory pathways. Clinically ideal therapeutic approaches are still lacking for treatment of RA. Recent studies have shown that Chinese herbal medicine and bioactive components there of potentially target ep-igenetic modifications in the treatment of RA. In order to provide new research ideas for therapeutic interventions and mechanistic studies of RA, we here reviewed and summarized literature on the epigenetic mechanism underlying the generation and development of RA and therapeutic effects of Chinese herbal medicine in RA that involve targeting epigenetic modifications.