DNA甲基化在细胞衰老中的作用

衰老是一种不可抗拒的生理现象,衰老过程伴随着复杂的生理生化改变,经常伴有一系列基因表达的变化。DNA甲基化作为哺乳动物细胞基因组修饰和表达调控的后遗传方式,在细胞的衰老过程中其总体水平降低,但同时又伴随着某些基因的高甲基化。衰老细胞的DNA甲基化改变可能是多种蛋白质参与的复杂过程。其甲基化模式与肿瘤细胞具有相似性,提示二者联系密切。     

精子DNA甲基化异常与男性不育

DNA甲基化／去甲基化是表观遗传学最重要的内容并可以控制基因的表达和印迹,越来越多的研究显示DNA甲基化异常与不育男性精子发生异常、特定肿瘤的发生、神经系统疾病、Rett综合征等有关。文章通过总结近来的相关研究资料来阐述精子发生过程中的DNA甲基化状态的改变,探讨精子DNA的甲基化异常与男性不育之间的联系,旨在为男性不育的治疗提供新的临床思路。     

组蛋白乙酰化、DNA甲基化在肿瘤发生中的作用

组蛋白乙酰化和DNA甲基化调控基因表达的两种主要方式,目前认为组蛋白乙酰化和DNA低甲基化可促进基因表达,而组蛋白去乙酰化和DNA高甲基化可抑制基因表达,组蛋白乙酰化和DNA甲基化这两种分子机制相互协调,实现基因表达的精细调控。     

DNA超甲基化在小麦耐盐胁迫中的作用

运用高效液相色谱技术测定小麦(Triticum aestivumL.)耐盐品种‘德抗961’和盐敏感品种‘豫麦34’盐胁迫后叶片和根DNA中5-甲基胞嘧啶百分含量的变化,结果表明,经150 mmol/L NaCl处理6 d后,‘德抗961’叶片和根DNA中的5-甲基胞嘧啶的百分含量显著下降,但经150 mmol/L NaCl处理10 d后,耐盐品种‘德抗961’叶片和根DNA中的5-甲基胞嘧啶的百分含量都比盐敏感品种‘豫麦34’的高。由此推测DNA超甲基化可能是植物耐盐机制的一部分。     

DNA甲基化在中枢神经系统发育中的研究进展

DNA甲基化是最早被发现的表观遗传修饰之一。近年来,大量的研究显示DNA甲基化在中枢神经系统(CNS)发育中发挥了重要作用。不同种类的DNA甲基转移酶(Dnmt)和DNA甲基结合蛋白(MBD)在CNS发育的不同阶段发挥不同的作用。DNA甲基化促进神经干细胞向神经元方向分化,抑制其向胶质细胞分化。Dnmt和MBD主要在神经元中表达,而在胶质细胞不表达或表达较少。DNA甲基化调节神经发生和突触的形成,参与学习记忆。星型胶质细胞的标志物GFAP去甲基化促进早期神经上皮分化为星型胶质细胞。少突胶质细胞相关基因MAG和Sox10等也受甲基化的调节。本文主要从以上方面综述了DNA甲基化在中枢神经系统发育中的作用。     

精子发生过程中组蛋白甲基化和乙酰化

精子发生(Spermatogenesis)这一高度复杂的独特分化过程包括精原细胞发育为精母细胞、单倍体精细胞的形成和精子成熟,并以阶段特异性和睾丸特异性基因的表达、有丝分裂和减数分裂以及组蛋白向鱼精蛋白的转变为特征。表观遗传修饰在减数分裂重组、联会复合物的形成、姊妹染色体的结合、减数分裂后精子的变态、基因表达阻遏和异染色质形成过程中发挥着重要作用。其中具有一定组成形式、起抑制作用和/或激活作用的组蛋白甲基化和乙酰化标记,不仅保证了正确的染色体配对和二价染色体的成功分离,并且精确调节减数分裂特异性基因的适时表达。精子发生过程中组蛋白甲基化和/或乙酰化错误会直接影响表观遗传修饰的建立和维持,导致生精细胞异常甚至引发不育。文章旨在对精子发生过程中组蛋白甲基化和乙酰化表观遗传修饰的动态变化及其相关酶的调节机制进行综述,为进一步研究精子发生的表观遗传调控,预防男性不育疾病的发生提供基础资料。     

胚胎发育过程中的DNA甲基化作用

哺乳动物的正常发育取决于表观遗传学调控机制准确无误地运行.其中尤为重要的是发生在原生殖细胞和胚胎中的基因组范围内的DNA甲基化模式重排等表观遗传学修饰.胚胎发育过程中的DNA甲基化作用与基因印记的建立、基因表达的调控以及细胞和胚胎的形态建成都密切相关.DNA甲基化发生机制和功能的阐明将对哺乳动物个体发育与人类疾病研究有重要意义.     

DNA甲基化模式及其在癌症中的作用

随着对癌症研究的不断深入,表观遗传调控在癌症发生发展中的作用也越来越受到人们的关注。DNA基化作为一种重要的表观遗传修饰机制,在基因表达调控中起着十分重要的作用。该文对DNA基化模式及其在癌症中的作用作了综述,并对DNA甲基化作为癌症早期诊断的生物标记以及癌症表观治疗的新策略作了总结和展望。     

哺乳动物DNA甲基化的功能与作用

甲基化修饰是哺乳动物DNA最常见的复制后调节方式之一,它通过调控基因的表达,在哺乳动物的生长发育过程中发挥重要作用,甲基化异常可导致生长发育异常或肿瘤。     

玉米新选细胞质雄性不育系小孢子发育的细胞学观察及DNA甲基化分析

细胞质雄性不育在高等植物中普遍存在,是杂种优势利用的重要工具,为推动植物杂种优势的利用发挥了重要作用。文章以本课题组前期新选的玉米细胞质雄性不育系A1、A2及保持系18(红)为材料,利用石蜡切片技术对不育材料小孢子发育过程进行细胞学观察,采用高效液相色谱法(HPLC)对不同发育时期的叶片及不同发育时期的雄穗DNA进行甲基化分析,从细胞学和表观遗传学角度了解不育系A1、A2的败育机制。结果表明：不育材料A1、A2小孢子发生败育的主要时期为四分体时期至单核小孢子中期。在不育系A2中还存在另一种败育方式,即在花粉母细胞时期表现出败育特征。甲基化分析结果表明,保持系18(红)的叶片DNA甲基化水平从苗期到拔节期迅速上升,而不育系A1、A2叶片DNA甲基化水平基本保持不变;保持系雄穗DNA甲基化水平表现为从花粉母细胞时期到双核期逐渐升高,而不育材料A1、A2从花粉母细胞时期到双核期的雄穗DNA甲基化水平表现为先上升后下降的趋势,达到最高峰的时期均出现在小孢子发育的四分体时期。从小孢子发育的细胞学观察结果可以发现,小孢子败育的主要时期往往具有较高的甲基化水平,推测DNA甲基化水平变化可能与不育材料A1、A2的花粉败育有关。     

Dynamic methylation pattern of the methyltransferase1o (Dnmt1o) 5′‐flanking region during mouse oogenesis and spermatogenesis

DNA methyltransferase1o (Dnmt1o), which is specific to oocyte and preimplantation embryo, plays a role in maintaining DNA methylation in mammalian cells. Here, we investigated the methylation status of CpGs sites in the Dnmt1o 5′‐flanking region in germ cells at different stages of oogenesis or spermatogenesis. The methylation levels of the CpG sites at the 5′‐flanking regions were hypermethylated in growing oocytes of all follicular stages, while the oocytes in meiotic metaphase II (MII) were demethylated. The methylation pattern within the CpGs sites in the 5′‐flanking region, however, was dramatically changed during spermatogenesis. We observed that there was significant non‐CpG methylation both in MII oocytes and spermatocytes. Although a low methylation level in non‐CpG sites was observed in primary and secondary oocytes, the CpA site of position 25 and CpT site of position 29 within the no‐CpG region in the 5′‐flanking region of Dnmt1o was highly methylated in MII oocytes. During spermatogenesis, the low degree of methylation at CpG sites in spermatocytes increased to a higher degree in sperm, while the high ratio of methylation in non‐CpG sites in spermatocytes decreased. Together, germ cells showed inverted methylation patterns between CpG and non‐CpG sites in the Dnmt1o 5′‐upstream region, and the methylation pattern during oogenesis did not drastically change, remaining generally hypomethylated at the MII stage. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 80: 212–222, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Tissue specific methylation of human Y chromosomal DNA sequences

This report describes two moderately repetitive human Y chromosomal DNA sequences isolated from a flow sorted Y chromosonal library. These sequences are present in XY male and XY female DNAs but absent in XX male and XX female DNAs. Genomic Southern blot analysis against DNAs isolated from different tissues showed tissue specific DNA methylation patterns. In contrast to the 2.1 kb Hae III repeats which are hypomethylated in sperm DNA, the moderately repetitive sequences used in this study are highly methylated in sperm, less methylated in blood and brain and least methylated in placental DNA.     

DNA methylation dynamics during the mammalian life cycle

DNA methylation is dynamically remodelled during the mammalian life cycle through distinct phases of reprogramming and de novo methylation. These events enable the acquisition of cellular potential followed by the maintenance of lineage-restricted cell identity, respectively, a process that defines the life cycle through successive generations. DNA methylation contributes to the epigenetic regulation of many key developmental processes including genomic imprinting, X-inactivation, genome stability and gene regulation. Emerging sequencing technologies have led to recent insights into the dynamic distribution of DNA methylation during development and the role of this epigenetic mark within distinct genomic contexts, such as at promoters, exons or imprinted control regions. Additionally, there is a better understanding of the mechanistic basis of DNA demethylation during epigenetic reprogramming in primordial germ cells and during pre-implantation development. Here, we discuss our current understanding of the developmental roles and dynamics of this key epigenetic system.     

Rapid response to changing environments during biological invasions: DNA methylation perspectives

Dissecting complex interactions between species and their environments has long been a research hot spot in the fields of ecology and evolutionary biology. The well‐recognized Darwinian evolution has well‐explained long‐term adaptation scenarios; however, “rapid” processes of biological responses to environmental changes remain largely unexplored, particularly molecular mechanisms such as DNA methylation that have recently been proposed to play crucial roles in rapid environmental adaptation. Invasive species, which have capacities to successfully survive rapidly changing environments during biological invasions, provide great opportunities to study molecular mechanisms of rapid environmental adaptation. Here, we used the methylation‐sensitive amplified polymorphism (MSAP) technique in an invasive model ascidian, Ciona savignyi, to investigate how species interact with rapidly changing environments at the whole‐genome level. We detected quite rapid DNA methylation response: significant changes of DNA methylation frequency and epigenetic differentiation between treatment and control groups occurred only after 1 hr of high‐temperature exposure or after 3 hr of low‐salinity challenge. In addition, we detected time‐dependent hemimethylation changes and increased intragroup epigenetic divergence induced by environmental stresses. Interestingly, we found evidence of DNA methylation resilience, as most stress‐induced DNA methylation variation maintained shortly (~48 hr) and quickly returned back to the control levels. Our findings clearly showed that invasive species could rapidly respond to acute environmental changes through DNA methylation modifications, and rapid environmental changes left significant epigenetic signatures at the whole‐genome level. All these results provide fundamental background to deeply investigate the contribution of DNA methylation mechanisms to rapid contemporary environmental adaptation.     

MicroRNA mediates DNA methylation of target genes

Small RNAs represented by microRNA (miRNA) plays important roles in plant development and responds to biotic and abiotic stresses. Previous studies have placed special emphasis on gene-repression mediated by miRNA. In this work, the DNA methylation pattern of microRNA genes (MIRs) was interrogated. Full-length cDNA and EST were used to confirm the entity of pri-miRNA. In parallel, miRNA in 24 nucleotides (nt) was pooled to detect chromatin modification effect by using bisulfite sequencing data. 97 MIRs were supported by full-length cDNA and 30 more were hit by EST. Notably, methylation levels of conserved MIRs were significantly lower than the non-conserved at all contexts (CG, CHG, and CHH). Additionally, a substantial part of 24-nt miRNA was able to induce target site methylation, providing a broader perspective for researchers.