Interplay between DNA methylation, histone modification and chromatin remodeling in stem cells and during development.
Genes constitute only a small proportion of the mammalian genome, the majority of which is composed of non-genic repetitive elements including interspersed repeats and satellites. A unique feature of the mammalian genome is that there are numerous tissue-dependent, differentially methylated regions (T-DMRs) in the non-repetitive sequences, which include genes and their regulatory elements. The epigenetic status of T-DMRs varies from that of repetitive elements and constitutes the DNA methylation profile genome-wide. Since the DNA methylation profile is specific to each cell and tissue type, much like a fingerprint, it can be used as a means of identification. The formation of DNA methylation profiles is the basis for cell differentiation and development in mammals. The epigenetic status of each T-DMR is regulated by the interplay between DNA methyltransferases, histone modification enzymes, histone subtypes, non-histone nuclear proteins and non-coding RNAs. In this review, we will discuss how these epigenetic factors cooperate to establish cell- and tissue-specific DNA methylation profiles.
Laboratory of Cellular Biochemistry, Animal Resource Sciences / Veterinary Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Agriculture and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Kohta
K
Ikegami
Jun
J
Ohgane
Satoshi
S
Tanaka
Shintaro
S
Yagi
Kunio
K
Shiota
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D042002:Chromatin Assembly and Disassembly; D019175:DNA Methylation; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D006657:Histones / Q000378:metabolism*; D008745:Methylation; D008954:Models, Biological; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*
D006657:Histones