Peer-review started: September 6, 2018
First decision: September 12, 2018
Revised: October 1, 2018
Accepted: December 5, 2018
Article in press: December 5, 2018
Published online: January 7, 2019
In 1975, Holliday and Pugh as well as Riggs independently hypothesized that DNA methylation in eukaryotes could act as a hereditary regulation mechanism that influences gene expression and cell differentiation. Interest in the study of epigenetic processes has been inspired by their reversibility as well as their potentially preventable or treatable consequences. Recently, we have begun to understand that the features of DNA methylation are not the same for all cells. Major differences have been found between differentiated cells and stem cells. Methylation influences various pathologies, and it is very important to improve the understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms. Epigenetic modifications may take place throughout life and have been related to cancer, brain aging, memory disturbances, changes in synaptic plasticity, and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease and Huntington’s disease. DNA methylation also has a very important role in tumor biology. Many oncogenes are activated by mutations in carcinogenesis. However, many genes with tumor-suppressor functions are “silenced” by the methylation of CpG sites in some of their regions. Moreover, the role of epigenetic alterations has been demonstrated in neurological diseases. In neuronal precursors, many genes associated with development and differentiation are silenced by CpG methylation. In addition, recent studies show that DNA methylation can also influence diseases that do not appear to be related to the environment, such as IgA nephropathy, thus affecting the expression of some genes involved in the T-cell receptor signaling. In conclusion, DNA methylation provides a whole series of fundamental information for the cell to regulate gene expression, including how and when the genes are read, and it does not depend on the DNA sequence.
Core tip: DNA methylation in eukaryotes acts as a hereditary regulation mechanism that influences gene expression and cell differentiation. Recently, we have begun to understand that the features of DNA methylation are not the same for all the cells. Major differences have been found between differentiated cells and stem cells. However, epigenetic modifications may take place throughout life and influence various diseases, and they are very important for improving the understanding of pathogenic mechanisms. New studies show that DNA methylation can also influence diseases that do not appear to be related to the environment.