DNA甲基化——肿瘤产生的一种表观遗传学机制

DNA Methylation: An Epigenetic Mechanism for Tumorigenesis

在人类基因组中,DNA甲基化是一种表观遗传修饰,它与肿瘤的发生关系密切。抑癌基因和DNA修复基因的高甲基化、重复序列DNA的低甲基化、某些基因的印记丢失与多种肿瘤的发生有关。目前研究发现,基因组中DNA甲基化的水平不仅受DNA甲基化转移酶(DNMT)的影响,还与组蛋白甲基化、饮食与环境、RNA干扰等多种因素有关。DNA甲基化在基因转录过程中扮有重要角色,并与组蛋白修饰、染色质构型重塑共同参与转录调控。

DNA methylation is a kind of epigenetic modification in human genome. Both hypermethylation of tumor suppressor gene or DNA repair gene and hypomethylation of repetitious DNA are closely related to different kinds of tumors. Loss of imprinting can also cause tumorigenesis. The recent study confirmed that the level of DNA methylation in genome was not only affected by DNA methyltransferase（DNMT）, but also by other factors, such as histone modification, diet and environment and RNA interference, et.c. DNA methylation has an important role in transcriptional regulation, togethering with histone modification and chromatin remodeling.