title: Patho-epigenetics of Infectious Diseases Caused by Intracellular Bacteria.
abstract: In multicellular eukaryotes including plants, animals and humans, epigenetic reprogramming may play a role in the pathogenesis of a wide variety of diseases. Recent studies revealed that in addition to viruses, pathogenic bacteria are also capable to dysregulate the epigenetic machinery of their target cells. In this chapter we focus on epigenetic alterations induced by bacteria infecting humans. Most of them are obligate or facultative intracellular bacteria that produce either bacterial toxins and surface proteins targeting the host cell membrane, or synthesise effector proteins entering the host cell nucleus. These bacterial products typically elicit histone modifications, i.e. alter the "histone code". Bacterial pathogens are capable to induce alterations of host cell DNA methylation patterns, too. Such changes in the host cell epigenotype and gene expression pattern may hinder the antibacterial immune response and create favourable conditions for bacterial colonization, growth, or spread. Epigenetic dysregulation mediated by bacterial products may also facilitate the production of inflammatory cytokines and other inflammatory mediators affecting the epigenotype of their target cells. Such indirect epigenetic changes as well as direct interference with the epigenetic machinery of the host cells may contribute to the initiation and progression of malignant tumors associated with distinct bacterial infections.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Hans Helmut
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Niller
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Biology and Experimental Dental Research, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Szeged, Tisza Lajos krt. 64, H-6720, Szeged, Hungary. minimicrobi@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Janos
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Minarovits
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D019175:DNA Methylation; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D001427:Bacterial Toxins
keywords: Cholesterol-dependent cytolysin; Downregulation of imprinted genes; Histone code; Inflammatory cytokines; Intracellular bacteria; Nuclear effector; Nucleomodulin protein; SET-domain protein; Short-chain fatty acids