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ESCI award lecture: regulation, function and biomarker potential of DNA methylation
Author(s) -
Schübeler Dirk
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
european journal of clinical investigation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.164
H-Index - 107
eISSN - 1365-2362
pISSN - 0014-2972
DOI - 10.1111/eci.12403
Subject(s) - dna methylation , biomarker , function (biology) , methylation , medicine , computational biology , biology , dna , physiology , bioinformatics , gerontology , genetics , gene , gene expression
Methylation of DNA and modifications of histones have emerged as intricately involved in gene regulation as they cross‐talk and respond in multiple ways to the activity of transcription factors. Measuring these epigenome components has become a powerful tool to identify regulatory principles and biomarkers that predict cellular state during development or disease. Here, I will focus on DNA methylation as a reversible epigenetic modification of DNA that has been studied in great detail at the level of the genome. Recent advances in sequencing have identified unexpected dynamics of this modification, which are tightly linked to gene regulation. Understanding how DNA methylation patterns are read and how they contribute to regulation will be critical to interpret and utilize genomic maps of DNA methylation. As these patterns are dynamic during cellular differentiation and perturbed in disease, they present an opportunity to use DNA methylation as a biomarker.