From a paper published on the 14th October issue of Nature, scientists has successfully uncovered the first complete high resolution map of human epigenome. The epigenome is described as being the template from which gene expressions are regulated. This means that epigenomes actually decide how a person grows and develops under influences from our daily lifestyles and environment. In another way, epigenome is thought as the factor that what phenotype is expressed from all the possibilities of the complete genome.The scientists behind this work, Dr Joseph Ecker and colleagues, told the media that this research will greatly help the advancement of treatment for various diseases. However, the effects of medications which interact with the epigenome has to be fully understood in the future before these drugs can be used freely.
For this study, human embryonic stem cells and fibroblasts were compared and from their epigenomes, Ecker and colleagues found that there is a group of methyls which is the functioning pathway of the epigenome.
There are two ways for the epigenome to act on the genome. One way is to target the histone which restricts access to DNA while the other, which is the focus of this new research is the methylation of DNA. Cytosines are commonly followed by guanines in fibroblast cells as previously expected(known as CG methylation), however in embryonic stem cells this pattern was not always how things worked out. Later, the team sought to prove this by using another stem cell line and fibroblast cells and they discovered that indeed there was a high level of non-CG methylation until when they differentiate.
The team believes that their work will be very highly valuable for improving our understanding of genes and grealty help us advance in treatment of cancers and mental illness.
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"Human DNA methylomes at base resolution show widespread epigenomic differences."
Ryan Lister, Mattia Pelizzola, Robert H. Dowen, R. David Hawkins, Gary Hon, Julian Tonti-Filippini, Joseph R. Nery, Leonard Lee, Zhen Ye, Que-Minh Ngo, Lee Edsall, Jessica Antosiewicz-Bourget, Ron Stewart, Victor Ruotti, A. Harvey Millar, James A. Thomson, Bing Ren & Joseph R. Ecker.
Nature Published online 14 October 2009.
DOI:10.1038/nature08514
link to article : http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/167591.php
