title: Linking DNA methylation to the onset of human tubal ectopic pregnancy.
abstract: Ectopic pregnancy is a common reproductive disorder of unknown etiology and is a leading cause of maternal and fetal mortality. Because of the asymptomatic nature of early tubal ectopic pregnancy and the lack of specific biomarkers for early diagnosis, a better understanding of the complex cellular and molecular interactions that contribute to tubal ectopic pregnancy is required. DNA methylation is the most studied epigenetic process in various tissues and cells, and the goal of this article is to provide a brief review of recent work describing the potential mechanisms of DNA methylation and the biological function of such methylation in normal intrauterine pregnancy. Further, novel findings from our laboratory highlight the possible role of DNA methylation in human Fallopian tube dysfunction and suggest a possible correlation between methylation of estrogen receptor α in women and the occurrence of tubal ectopic pregnancies.
authors.affiliation: Institutes of Biomedical Sciences at Fudan University Shanghai 200032, China ; Bio-X Center, Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Shanghai 200032, China.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Shien
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zou
authors.forename: Mats
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brännström
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Håkan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Billig
authors.forename: Ruijin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Shao
keywords: DNA methylation; DNMT; ectopic pregnancy; fallopian tube; implantation