Novel insights into DNA methylation and its critical implications in diabetic vascular complications.
Recent epidemiological and clinical studies have shown that type 2 diabetic patients can develop diabetic vascular complications even after intensive glycaemic control. It has been suggested that this phenomenon could be explained by the hypothesis of 'metabolic memory'. The underlying mechanisms between these enduring effects and the prior hyperglycaemic state are still not well understood. Preliminary studies demonstrate that hyperglycaemia can regulate gene expression by epigenetic modifications, such as DNA methylation, which can persistently exist even after glucose normalization. Increasing evidence shows that epigenetic mechanisms may play a substantial role in the pathophysiology of diabetes and its associated vascular complications, including atherosclerosis, diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM), nephropathy and retinopathy. In this review, we will examine the growing role of DNA methylation in diabetes and its vascular complications, thus it can provide critical implications for the early prevention of diabetes and its vascular complications.
Department of Endocrinology, Key Laboratory of Endocrinology, Ministry of Health, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Diabetes Research Center of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, China.
Jia
J
Zheng
Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Remodeling and Function Research, Chinese Ministry of Education and Chinese Ministry of Public Health, Department of Cardiology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, China.
Jing
J
Cheng
Department of Endocrinology, Key Laboratory of Endocrinology, Ministry of Health, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Diabetes Research Center of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, China.
Qian
Q
Zhang
Department of Endocrinology, Key Laboratory of Endocrinology, Ministry of Health, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Diabetes Research Center of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, China xiaoxinhua@medmail.com.cn.
Xinhua
X
Xiao
D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D019175:DNA Methylation; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000235:genetics*; D003925:Diabetic Angiopathies / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics*; D058065:Diabetic Cardiomyopathies / Q000235:genetics / Q000532:radiotherapy; D003928:Diabetic Nephropathies / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans
D001786:Blood Glucose
Atherosclerosis; DNA methylation; Diabetic cardiomyopathy; Diabetic nephropathy; Diabetic retinopathy; Epigenetics