Recent advances in epigenetics indicate that several epigenetic modifications, including acetylation, methylatio, and microRNA (miRNA), play an important role in the pathogenesis of acute kidney injury (AKI). Our study reveales that enhancement of protein acetylation by pharmacological inhibition of class I histone deacetylases leads to more severe tubular injury, and delays the restoration of renal structure and function. The changes in promoter DNA methylation occurs in the kidney with ischemia/reperfusion. MiRNA expression is associated with the regulation of both renal injury and regeneration after AKI. Targeting the epigenetic process may provide a therapeutic treatment for patients with AKI. The purpose of this review is to summarize recent advances in epigenetic regulation of AKI and provide mechanistic insight into the role of acetylation, methylation, and miRNA expression in the pathological processes of AKI.
Epigenetics refers to heritable changes in gene expression independent of DNA nucleotide sequence itself, and the main mechanisms include DNA methylation, histone modifications, noncoding RNAs, and so on. Vascular disease is a chronic disease regulated by the interaction between environmental and genetic factors. In recent years, more and more studies have confirmed that epigenetic regulation plays an important role in the occurrence and development of vascular diseases. This article reviews recent advances in epigenetics in vascular disease.
ObjectiveTo summarize the current research status of the relationship between DNA methylation and liver regeneration.MethodThe related literatures at home and abroad were searched to review the studies on relationships between the methylation level of liver cells, regulation of gene expression, and methylation related proteins and liver regeneration.ResultsThe DNA methylation was an important epigenetic regulation method in vivo and its role in the liver regeneration had been paid more and more attentions in recent years. The existing studies had found the epigenetic phenomena during the liver regeneration such as the genomic hypomethylation, methylation changes of related proliferating genes and DNA methyltransferase and UHRF1 regulation of the liver regeneration.ConclusionsThere are many relationships between DNA methylation and liver regeneration. Regulation of liver regeneration from DNA methylation level is expected to become a reality in the near future.
RNA can be labeled by more than 170 chemical modifications after transcription, and these chemical modifications are collectively referred to as RNA modifications. It opened a new chapter of epigenetic research and became a major research hotspot in recent years. RNA modification regulates the expression of genes from the transcriptome level by regulating the fate of RNA, thus participating in many biological processes and disease occurrence and development. With the deepening of research, the diversity and complexity of RNA modification, as well as its physiological significance and potential as a therapeutic target, can not be ignored.