组蛋白乙酰化/去乙酰化及其在恶性血液病中的研究进展

组蛋白乙酰化/去乙酰化是调控基因表达的重要方式之一.目前认为组蛋白乙酰化可促进基因表达,而组蛋白去乙酰化可抑制基因表达.组蛋白去乙酰化酶抑制剂通过竞争性抑制组蛋白去乙酰化酶,使组蛋白乙酰化过程增强,促进基因的表达.白血病中许多染色体易位均涉及组蛋白去乙酰化酶或因组蛋白去乙酰化酶的活性异常,引起抑癌基因表达抑制或癌基因激活和过度表达,导致白血病的发生.在淋巴瘤的发病中,许多类型的淋巴瘤有明确的基因突变,可以产生一些新的基因,如bcl-6基因,导致淋巴瘤的发生.组蛋白去乙酰化酶抑制剂(histone deacetylase inhibitors,HDAIS)是一类抗恶性血液病的化疗新药.体内和体外实验均显示HDAIS可抑制白血病细胞、淋巴瘤细胞增殖,使细胞周期受阻,诱导肿瘤细胞的分化和/或凋亡.组蛋白去乙酰化酶抑制剂在抗恶性血液病中发挥重要的作用.     

组蛋白乙酰化／去乙酰化及其在恶性血液病中的研究进展

组蛋白乙酰化／去乙酰化是调控基因表达的重要方式之一．目前认为组蛋白乙酰化可促进基因表达，而组蛋白去乙酰化可抑制基因表达．组蛋白去乙酰化酶抑制剂通过竞争性抑制组蛋白去乙酰化酶，使组蛋白乙酰化过程增强，促进基因的表达．白血病中许多染色体易位均涉及组蛋白去乙酰化酶或因组蛋白去乙酰化酶的活性异常，引起抑癌基因表达抑制或癌基因激活和过度表达，导致白血病的发生．在淋巴瘤的发病中，许多类型的淋巴瘤有明确的基因突变，可以产生一些新的基因，如bcl—6基因，导致淋巴瘤的发生．组蛋白去乙酰化酶抑制剂(histone deacety-lase inhibitors,HDAIS)是一类抗恶性血液病的化疗新药．体内和体外实验均显示HDAIS可抑制白血病细胞、淋巴瘤细胞增殖，使细胞周期受阻，诱导肿瘤细胞的分化和／或凋亡．组蛋白去乙酰化酶抑制剂在抗恶性血液病中发挥重要的作用．     

组蛋白乙酰化对细胞分化的调控及其机制

近来大量实验提示体内组蛋白乙酰化状态的改变会影响到细胞的分化.目前研究主要集中在组蛋白乙酰化状态对肿瘤细胞分化、干细胞分化和胚胎发育等的影响.但其相关作用机制仍不十分清楚.本文就组蛋白乙酰化过程对细胞分化的调控以及其调控的机制进行讨论.     

组蛋白乙酰化/脱乙酰化与细胞周期的关系

组蛋白乙酰化和脱乙酰化与细胞周期有密切的关系。本文介绍了组蛋白乙酰化 /脱乙酰化的变化与细胞周期进程的关系 ,HAT/ HDAC对 CDKI表达的影响以及 HAT/ HDAC与癌基因及抑癌基因产物的相互作用     

组蛋白脱乙酰化酶抑制剂抗心脏纤维化作用及免疫机制

可逆性组蛋白乙酰化在调节心肌纤维化过程中具有核心作用,而组蛋白乙酰基转移酶(HATs)和组蛋白脱乙酰化酶(HDACs)是决定组蛋白乙酰化程度的两种主要酶.组蛋白脱乙酰酶抑制剂(HDACIs)具有抗纤维化作用,可减少心脏细胞凋亡、肥大以及心室纤维化,其抗心脏纤维化作用与其对心脏成纤维细胞、肾素-血管紧张素-醛固酮系统及其免疫机制密切相关.不久的未来,HDAC抑制剂可能作为一种新型的治疗心衰的药物.     

组蛋白乙酰化/去乙酰化与染色质结构及基因转录调控的关系

在真核生物中,组蛋白是染色质基本结构——核小体中的重要组成部分,其N末端氨基酸残基可发生乙酰化等共价修饰。组蛋白的乙酰化是一可逆的动态过程,而其稳定状态的维持则是多种组蛋白乙酰基转移酶(HATs)和去乙酰基酶(HDACs)共同作用的结果。这种可逆的乙酰化修饰作用可使染色质结构发生动态的改变,并对基因的转录产生相应的影响。     

组蛋白乙酰化／脱乙酰化与细胞周期的关系

组蛋白乙酰化和脱乙酰化与细胞周期有密切的关系。本介绍了组蛋白乙酰化／脱乙酰化的变化与细胞周期进程的关系，ＨＡＴ／ＨＤＡＣ对ＣＤＫＩ表达的影响以及ＨＡＴ／ＨＤＡＣ与癌基因及抑癌基因产物的相互作用。     

组蛋白去乙酰化酶抑制剂的研究进展

组蛋白乙酰化和去乙酰化可调节染色体的多种功能,如基因表达和染色体分离等。研究发现,组蛋白去乙酰化酶抑制剂(histone deacetylase inhibitors, HDACIs)可诱导肿瘤细胞及干细胞分化、生长阻断和凋亡。现综述HDAC抑制剂的种类、生物学作用、抗肿瘤作用机制的研究进展及应用前景等。     

组蛋白乙酰化／去乙酰化与染色质结构及基因转录调控的关系

在真核生物中，组蛋白是染色质基本结构——核小体中的重要组成部分，其N末端氨基酸残基可发生乙酰化等共价修饰。组蛋白的乙酰化是一可逆的动态过程，而其稳定状态的维持则是多种组蛋白乙酰基转移酶（HATs）和去乙酰基酶（HDACs）共同作用的结果。这种可逆的乙酰化修饰作用可使染色质结构发生动态的改变，并对基因的转录产生相应的影响。     

TSA通过组蛋白乙酰化影响TLR2基因表达

目的组蛋白去乙酰化酶抑制剂(Trichostatin A,TSA)处理人THP-1细胞,干预组蛋白H3乙酰化水平,探讨组蛋白H3乙酰化对人THP-1细胞中TLR2基因表达水平的影响。方法构建THP-1巨噬细胞模型,分别利用不同浓度TSA处理细胞,Real-time PCR和Western blot方法检测m RNA和蛋白的表达;染色质免疫共沉淀技术(Chromatin immunoprecipitation,Ch IP)比较TSA处理前后启动子区H3乙酰化水平。结果TSA以浓度依赖方式上调表达水平。TSA上调组蛋白H3乙酰化水平,使启动子区H3乙酰化水平明显上升。结论 TSA通过组蛋白H3乙酰化影响基因表达,这是乙酰化调控TLR2基因表达的一种可能机制。     

The epigenetics of adult (somatic) stem cells

While genetic studies have provided a wealth of information about health and disease, there is a growing awareness that individual characteristics are also determined by factors other than genetic sequences. These "epigenetic" changes broadly encompass the influence of the environment on gene regulation and expression and in a more narrow sense, describe the mechanisms controlling DNA methylation, histone modification and genetic imprinting. In this review, we focus on the epigenetic mechanisms that regulate adult (somatic) stem cell differentiation, beginning with the metabolic pathways and factors regulating chromatin structure and DNA methylation and the molecular biological tools that are currently available to study these processes. The role of these epigenetic mechanisms in manipulating adult stem cells is followed by a discussion of the challenges and opportunities facing this emerging field.     

Exercise training and DNA methylation in humans

The response to exercise training (trainability) has been shown to have a strong heritable component. There is growing evidence suggesting that traits such as trainability do not only depend on the genetic code, but also on epigenetic signals. Epigenetic signals play an important role in the modulation of gene expression, through mechanisms such as DNA methylation and histone modifications. There is an emerging evidence to show that physical activity influences DNA methylation in humans. The present review aims to summarize current knowledge on the link between DNA methylation and physical activity in humans. We have critically reviewed the literature and only papers focused on physical activity and its influence on DNA methylation status were included; a total of 25 papers were selected. We concluded that both acute and chronic exercises significantly impact DNA methylation, in a highly tissue‐ and gene‐specific manner. This review also provides insights into the molecular mechanisms of exercise‐induced DNA methylation changes, and recommendations for future research.     

Theoretical framework for the histone modification network: modifications in the unstructured histone tails form a robust scale-free network

A rapid increase in research on the relationship between histone modifications and their subsequent reactions in the nucleus has revealed that the histone modification system is complex, and robust against point mutations. The prevailing theoretical framework (the histone code hypothesis) is inadequate to explain either the complexity or robustness, making the formulation of a new theoretical framework both necessary and desirable. Here, we develop a model of the regulatory network of histone modifications in which we encode histone modifications as nodes and regulatory interactions between histone modifications as links. This network has scale-free properties and subnetworks with a pseudo–mirror symmetry structure, which supports the robustness of the histone modification network. In addition, we show that the unstructured tail regions of histones are suitable for the acquisition of this scale-free property. Our model and related insights provide the first framework for an overall architecture of a histone modification network system, particularly with regard to the structural and functional roles of the unstructured histone tail region. In general, the post-translational "modification webs" of natively unfolded regions (proteins) may function as signal routers for the robust processing of the large amounts of signaling information.     

Evolution and multilevel optimization of the genetic code

The discovery of the genetic code was one of the most important advances of modern biology. But there is more to a DNA code than protein sequence; DNA carries signals for splicing, localization, folding, and regulation that are often embedded within the protein-coding sequence. In this issue, Itzkovitz and Alon show that the specific 64-to-20 mapping found in the genetic code may have been optimized for permitting protein-coding regions to carry this extra information and suggest that this property may have evolved as a side benefit of selection to minimize the negative effects of frameshift errors.     

The genetic code is nearly optimal for allowing additional information within protein-coding sequences

DNA sequences that code for proteins need to convey, in addition to the protein-coding information, several different signals at the same time. These "parallel codes" include binding sequences for regulatory and structural proteins, signals for splicing, and RNA secondary structure. Here, we show that the universal genetic code can efficiently carry arbitrary parallel codes much better than the vast majority of other possible genetic codes. This property is related to the identity of the stop codons. We find that the ability to support parallel codes is strongly tied to another useful property of the genetic code--minimization of the effects of frame-shift translation errors. Whereas many of the known regulatory codes reside in nontranslated regions of the genome, the present findings suggest that protein-coding regions can readily carry abundant additional information.     

Genes, epigenetic regulation and environmental factors: which is the most relevant in developing autoimmune diseases?

Autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, multiple sclerosis and inflammatory bowel disease, have complex pathogeneses and likely multifactorial etiologies. The current paradigm for understanding their development is that the disease is triggered in genetically-susceptible individuals by exposure to environmental factors. Some of these environmental factors have been specifically identified, while others are hypothesized and not yet proven, and it is likely that most have yet to be identified. One interesting hypothesis is that environmental effects on immune responses could be mediated by changes in epigenetic regulation. Major mechanisms of epigenetic gene regulation include DNA methylation and histone modification. In these cases, gene expression is modified without involving changes in DNA sequence. Epigenetics is a new and interesting research field in autoimmune diseases. We review the roles of genetic factors, epigenetic regulation and the most studied environmental risk factors such as cigarette smoke, crystalline silica, Epstein-Barr virus, and reproductive hormones in the pathogenesis of autoimmune disease.     

肿瘤细胞中的表观遗传编码紊乱

不改变基因的DNA编码,通过改变DNA双链与组蛋白间紧密度来决定基因是否转录表达,这称为表观遗传编码机制。表观遗传编码的生理作用是通过组蛋白修饰和DNA甲基化,调控细胞在适当的时间、空间位置表达适当的基因,从而控制细胞的增殖状况和分化方向。在细胞发育过程中,细胞内DNA甲基化水平增龄性增高,基因转录活性逐渐降低,使细胞从幼稚增殖进入成熟分化。肿瘤细胞中出现表观遗传编码紊乱,致细胞增殖失控,不能进入分化成熟阶段。基因启动子出现甲基化重排,阻碍转录因子与启动子结合,导致基因转录丧失正常调控,合成成熟功能蛋白受阻。利用表观遗传机制(如,RNA干涉)可成为肿瘤治疗的新方法。