表观遗传修饰对转基因和克隆胚早期发育的影响研究进展

表观遗传修饰在基因表达和克隆胚的早期发育方面有重要作用.本文从DNA甲基化、组蛋白修饰、染色质重塑和非编码RNA调控方面综述了表观遗传的发生机制及其对转基因和克隆胚早期发育的影响.该文对表观遗传的研究有重要的指导作用.     

DNA甲基化、组蛋白修饰与基因沉默

DNA甲基化、组蛋白去乙酰化和H3K9甲基化是3种最典型的与染色质凝聚状态有关的共价修饰方式，它们都与基因的沉默存在着联系，近年来的研究主要集中于DNA甲基化与各种组蛋白修饰之间的关系，以及染色质阻遏状态的自身强化循环关系上。组蛋白去乙酰化和H3K9甲基化可能有助于DNA甲基化模式的建立，此外，研究结果还显示CpG甲基化和其它组蛋白修饰存在相互作用。     

Epigenetic assessment of environmental chemicals detected in maternal peripheral and cord blood samples

Epigenetic alteration is an emerging paradigm underlying the long-term effects of chemicals on gene functions. Various chemicals, including organophosphate insecticides and heavy metals, have been detected in the human fetal environment. Epigenetics by DNA methylation and histone modifications, through dynamic chromatin remodeling, is a mechanism for genome stability and gene functions. To investigate whether such environmental chemicals may cause epigenetic alterations, we studied the effects of selected chemicals on morphological changes in heterochromatin and DNA methylation status in mouse ES cells (ESCs). Twenty-five chemicals, including organophosphate insecticides, heavy metals and their metabolites, were assessed for their effect on the epigenetic status of mouse ESCs by monitoring heterochromatin stained with 4￠,6-diamino-2-phenylindole (DAPI). The cells were surveyed after 48 or 96 h of exposure to the chemicals at the serum concentrations of cord blood. The candidates for epigenetic mutagens were examined for the effect on DNA methylation at genic regions. Of the 25 chemicals, five chemicals (diethyl phosphate (DEP), mercury (Hg), cotinine, selenium (Se) and octachlorodipropyl ether (S-421)) caused alterations in nuclear staining, suggesting that they affected heterochromatin conditions. Hg and Se caused aberrant DNA methylation at gene loci. Furthermore, DEP at 0.1 ppb caused irreversible heterochromatin changes in ESCs, and DEP-, Hg- and S-421-exposed cells also exhibited impaired formation of the embryoid body (EB), which is an in vitro model for early embryos. We established a system for assessment of epigenetic mutagens. We identified environmental chemicals that could have effects on the human fetus epigenetic status.     

Epigenetic Regulation of Gene Expression: Emerging Applications for Horses

Epigenetic modifications play a central role in the cellular and developmental programming of gene expression, serving as a molecular code for regulating the spatial and temporal patterns of gene expression. Epigenetic modifications are unique as they are cell-specific, heritable, and dynamic. They provide a framework for regulating gene expression, a map of functional noncoding elements in the genome, a biological sensor of environmental conditions, and a window of opportunity for the potential development of therapeutic strategies. Here we provide a brief overview of our current understanding of the epigenetic mechanisms regulating gene expression, focusing on DNA methylation and posttranslational modifications of histone proteins. Furthermore, we explore the emerging field of epigenetics in the horse, including the identification of functional elements in the horse genome and the potential development of epigenetic therapies in horses.     

DNA甲基化在哺乳动物卵母细胞和早期胚胎发育中的研究进展

DNA甲基化(DNA methylation)是一种动态、可逆并可以遗传的表观遗传修饰模式,主要发生在哺乳动物原始生殖细胞和早期胚胎发育过程中,能够通过高动态和协同的核酶网络附着在DNA的CpG区域,同时还通过改变调控区域的功能状态进而调控基因表达且不影响DNA序列所携带的遗传信息。DNA甲基化主要涉及基因组印迹、转座元件沉默、X染色体失活和衰老等多种关键生理过程,在哺乳动物卵母细胞和胚胎发育中发挥着重要作用。本文介绍了DNA甲基化的建立与去除机制及其生物学功能,重点阐述了DNA甲基化在哺乳动物卵母细胞和胚胎发育过程中精准生成、维持、读取和删除等动态变化过程,为进一步研究哺乳动物表观遗传调控提供参考依据。     

牧草表观遗传学研究进展

表观遗传是指在DNA序列不变的情况下基因表达发生变化的现象。表观遗传现象与外界环境条件的变化紧密相关,它参与植物的生长发育、胁迫响应、衰老死亡等重要生命过程并在其中起到了关键作用。表观遗传学作为一门新兴学科在近20年间得到了快速发展,成为当前动植物和医学领域的研究热点。目前植物表观遗传学的相关研究主要集中在DNA甲基化、组蛋白修饰、RNA甲基化、染色质重塑和非编码RNA修饰等方面,并取得了许多重要成果。然而,相对于模式植物拟南芥和其他主要作物而言,牧草的表观遗传学研究仍处于起步阶段。因此,开展牧草表观遗传学研究对我国草牧业的可持续发展具有重要意义。本研究对表观遗传学的概念、研究方法、研究内容(包括DNA甲基化、组蛋白修饰、RNA甲基化、染色质重塑和非编码RNA修饰等)及牧草表观遗传学相关研究进行了全面总结和综述,并对表观遗传在草牧业中的发展前景进行了展望。     

Differential promoter methylation of DAZL gene in bulls with varying seminal parameters

In India, cross‐breeding of indigenous cattle with exotic cattle such as Holstein Friesian and Jersey has been going on since last four decades to improve milk production. Although it has led to increased milk yield, the subfertility in male cross‐bred progeny has remained a significant problem. Epigenetic modifications (DNA methylation, histone modifications and chromatin remodelling) are regarded as key players influencing gene expression. DAZL gene plays an important role in germline development and gametogenesis. The methylation and mRNA expression level of this gene have been significantly negatively correlated in the testes of cattle–yak hybrids and their parents. This study analysed the methylation profile of DAZL gene promoter in bull spermatozoa in an attempt to speculate its role in cross‐bred cattle subfertility. Semen samples from Sahiwal, Holstein Friesian and Frieswal bulls (Sahiwal X Holstein Friesian) with varying semen motility parameters were collected, and DNA was isolated. Methylation‐specific primers were used to amplify part of promoter and exon 1 of DAZL gene using bisulphite‐converted DNA. The amplified products were sequenced after cloning in pTZ57R/T vector. Sequence analysis revealed significantly higher DNA methylation of DAZL gene in Frieswal bulls with poor motility (28.26%) as compared to medium (15.21%) and high motility phenotype (6.52%). In pure‐bred counterparts, Sahiwal and Holstein Friesian, epigenetic marks were more in the former (15.21%) than the latter (4.34%), but in both cases, the values were lower as compared to the poor motility Frieswal bulls. This suggests that differential hypermethylation of the CpG islands could possibly influence reproductive parameters in bovines.     

表观遗传调控机制在犬肿瘤中的研究进展

犬肿瘤性疾病是兽医临床上常发的一种疾病，其发病率较高，是造成世界范围内犬死亡的重要原因之一，由于其病理学分类、自发性、基因和信号通路等方面与人类肿瘤有相似之处，可作为人类肿瘤的研究模型。表观遗传是基于DNA序列没有发生改变的情况下所致基因功能和表达水平发生了可遗传的变化，主要通过基因转录或翻译过程的调控，影响其功能和特性。表观遗传改变主要包括DNA甲基化水平改变、组蛋白修饰、染色质重塑和非编码RNA调控等。DNA异常甲基化在犬的多种肿瘤中均有研究，包括犬白血病、淋巴瘤及黑色素瘤等，且犬与人类肿瘤的DNA异常甲基化模式相似。在肿瘤中组蛋白各种修饰酶表达失调，是抗肿瘤药物开发分子靶点研究的主要焦点，但目前在犬肿瘤中的研究较少。非编码RNA中microRNA与lncRNA是目前的研究热点，已有较多研究致力于开发针对非编码RNA的靶向研究药物，但目前在兽医领域应用较少。作者主要综述了犬肿瘤疾病的流行病学、DNA甲基化、组蛋白修饰、非编码RNA等表观遗传学变化在犬肿瘤中的研究进展，揭示表观遗传异常与犬肿瘤发生发展的关系，以期为开发犬肿瘤性疾病诊断、靶向治疗及预后的特异性标志物提供参考依据。     

玻璃化冷冻对哺乳动物MⅡ期卵母细胞表观遗传学的影响

玻璃化冷冻作为一种操作简单、成功率高的细胞保存方式具有诸多优点，广泛应用于农业、医学、生物等领域。但相较于新鲜卵母细胞，玻璃化冷冻后的卵母细胞仍存在许多问题，如玻璃化冷冻后的卵母细胞妊娠率和产活仔率低于新鲜的卵母细胞、基因表达异常等。表观遗传学是研究基因在核苷酸序列不发生改变的情况下基因表达的可遗传变化的一门学科。表观遗传修饰在不改变DNA序列的情况下使基因和环境之间产生相互作用。在体外胚胎生产过程中，外界环境因素会对表观遗传修饰造成影响。作者从表观遗传学方面综述了玻璃化冷冻对哺乳动物MⅡ期卵母细胞DNA和全基因组甲基化、组蛋白甲基化和乙酰化、磷酸化及泛素化、基因印迹、microRNA的影响，以及玻璃化冷冻MⅡ卵母细胞后表观遗传修饰的改变对转录过程中基因的表达影响，为揭示并调控玻璃化冷冻卵母细胞后表观遗传修饰事件、进一步提高玻璃化冷冻后卵母细胞的质量提供参考。     

Epigenetic characteristics of cloned and in vitro-fertilized swamp buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) embryos

Swamp buffalos are becoming endangered due to reproductive inefficiencies. This is of concern because many countries depend heavily on their products. Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) is a potential strategy for preserving endangered species. To date, SCNT in swamp buffalo has succeeded in the creation of blastocyst embryos. However, development to term of SCNT swamp buffalos is extremely limited, and only 1 live birth has been reported. An abnormal epigenetic mechanism is suspected to be the cause of developmental failure, as is also seen in other species. The DNA methylation and histone acetylation are key players in epigenetic modification and display marked variability during embryonic preimplantation development. Knowledge of epigenetic modifications will aid in solving the developmental problems of SCNT embryos and improving reproductive technology in the swamp buffalo. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between preimplantation embryonic development and 2 epigenetic patterns, global DNA methylation and histone acetylation, in SCNT and in vitro-fertilized (IVF) swamp buffalo embryos. In addition, we examined the correlations between those 2 mechanisms in the SCNT and IVF swamp buffalo embryos throughout the developmental stages using double immunostaining and quantification of the emission intensities using confocal microscopy. We discovered an aberrant methylation pattern in early preimplantation-stage swamp buffalo SCNT embryos. In addition, greater variability in the DNA methylation levels among nuclei within SCNT embryos was discovered. Hyperacetylation was also observed in SCNT embryos compared with IVF embryos at the 4- and 8-cell stages (P < 0.05). Dynamic changes and interplay between these 2 epigenetic mechanisms could be crucial for embryonic development during the early preimplantation period. The aberrancies uncovered here may contribute to the low efficiency of SCNT.     

蛋氨酸对动物表型性状的影响及DNA甲基化调控机制的研究进展

蛋氨酸(methionine,Met)是动物生长代谢过程中重要的甲基供体,同时作为必需氨基酸中唯一的含硫氨基酸,与赖氨酸一起为玉米—豆粕型日粮或微生物蛋白合成的第一或第二限制性氨基酸。另外,Met作为饲料添加剂对动物机体的生产性能、自身免疫力及疾病预防具有重要作用。随着营养表观遗传学在动物领域研究的不断发展,可实现以Met作为重要的营养素对动物进行表观遗传修饰(DNA甲基化、组蛋白修饰、染色质重塑及非编码RNA等)。DNA甲基化作为表观遗传修饰的方式之一,对于研究表型性状具有重要作用,是联系基因和表型间的纽带。文章介绍了DNA甲基化的作用机制及蛋氨酸代谢的调控机制,为今后正确理解Met与表观遗传学修饰之间的联系,进一步揭示表型性状的分子作用机制提供参考。通过基因组学进一步对Met如何在分子水平影响动物表型性状的改变进行展望与分析,也有助于掌握Met需要的个体差异,确定个体的营养需要量,实现真正的"基因饲养"模式。     

DNA methylation status in tissues of sheep clones

Genomic imprinting and DNA methylation play an important role in mammalian development. Many cloned animals showed heterogeneous DNA methylation profiles. However, there are fewer reports in cloned lambs because of a lack of genomic imprinting information. In this study, we investigated DNA methylation patterns in CpG islands and differentially methylated regions of putative imprinted gene Peg10 and imprinted genes Dlk1, Igf2R and H19 in cloned lambs. Five organs from two cloned lambs died shortly after birth and two normal controls were investigated. We observed normal DNA methylation profiles in cloned lambs. The imprinted genes Dlk1, Igf2R and H19 in livers, kidneys, hearts, muscles and lungs of the two cloned lambs exhibited relatively normal DNA methylation, except for Peg10 showing some differences between controls and cloned lambs. Our results indicate that somatic cell nuclear transfer-produced sheep exhibited relatively normal DNA methylation pattern and experienced normal DNA methylation reprogramming at imprinted loci.     

CRISPR/dCas9技术在基因表达调控中的研究进展

CRISPR/dCas9是在CRISPR/Cas9基因编辑系统的基础上改造升级建立起的一种用于调控基因组转录与表观遗传修饰的系统,它不仅继承了CRISPR/Cas9系统的精准性,同时还展现出了良好的作用效果。在该系统中dCas9蛋白保留了Cas9蛋白结合DNA的能力而切割功能不复存在。将dCas9蛋白与不同的激活、抑制效应子域和表观遗传调控酶偶联,可以对基因表达与表观遗传修饰进行精确调控。组蛋白乙酰化、组蛋白甲基化、DNA甲基化等表观遗传修饰过程是基因表达的基础,对整个生命过程作出了巨大的贡献,同时表观遗传与多种疾病和癌症都存在因果关系,因此以CRISPR/dCas9系统为框架的不同表观遗传修饰系统在人类疾病治疗和癌症研究领域具有重要的研究价值。笔者简要介绍了CRISPR/Cas9系统的发现过程以及作用原理,主要总结了以CRISPR/dCas9系统为框架的不同调控系统在基因表达调控和表观遗传调控中的应用以及优化过程,以期为从事相关领域的科研工作者提供一些参考。     

精子发生及冷冻过程中表观遗传调控的研究进展

表观遗传调控是不涉及DNA序列改变而引起基因可遗传变化的机制,包括组蛋白修饰、非编码RNAs的调控及DNA特定碱基结构的修饰,它在基因表达过程中起着十分重要的作用。在精子发生过程中,机体通过表观遗传修饰从而确保精子具有正常的功能。冷冻过程会造成精子不可逆的损伤,这些冷冻损伤可能与精子表观遗传变化有关。作者对精子发生及冷冻保存过程中的表观遗传调控机制进行了综述。     

奶牛乳腺炎致病机制的表观遗传调控研究进展

奶牛乳腺炎作为制约奶牛养殖业发展的主要疾病之一,其受到环境、理化因素以及不同病原菌等多种因素影响。表观遗传调控作为一种新的分子调控机制,在奶牛乳腺炎致病过程中起着十分重要的作用。本文拟从DNA甲基化、组蛋白修饰和非编码RNA等多方面综述其在奶牛乳腺炎发生、发展中的作用,并从多维度提出奶牛乳腺炎表观遗传调控机制未来研究策略,以期为奶牛乳腺炎致病机制研究以及有效防控提供参考。     

Non-CpG methylation occurs in the regulatory region of the Sry gene

The Sry (sex determining region on Y chromosome) gene is a master gene for sex determination. We previously reported that the Sry gene has tissue-dependent and differentially methylated regions (T-DMRs) by analyzing the DNA methylation states at CpG sites in the promoter regions. In this study, we found unique non-CpG methylation at the internal cytosine in the 5'-CCTGG-3' pentanucleotide sequence in the Sry T-DMR. This non-CpG methylation was detected in four mouse strains (ICR, BALB/c, DBA2 and C3H), but not in two strains (C57BL/6 and 129S1), suggesting that the CCTGG methylation is tentative and unstable. Interestingly, this CCTGG methylation was associated with demethylation of the CpG sites in the Sry T-DMR in the developmental process. A methylation-mediated promoter assay showed that the CCTGG methylation promotes gene expression. Our finding shows that non-CpG methylation has unique characteristic and is still conserved in mammals.     

弓形虫蛋白质翻译后修饰研究进展

弓形虫是一种复杂的单细胞原生动物寄生虫,通过入侵宿主细胞、分裂和诱导宿主细胞破裂等一系列的过程,在温血动物体内进行增殖。弓形虫的生物学特征受基因组、表观遗传及转录等多种因素的调控。蛋白质翻译后修饰（protein post-translational modifications,PTMs）,如磷酸化、泛素化、巴豆酰化、棕榈酰化、琥珀酰化、乙酰化、甲基化、糖基化和二羟基异丁酰化等,是弓形虫调节对细胞外刺激的反应和生命周期转变的主要机制之一。弓形虫蛋白质翻译后修饰通过改变靶蛋白的定位、结构、活性、蛋白质-蛋白质相互作用等增加蛋白质的复杂性和多样性,从而在虫体生命周期的任何时间点都可以发挥至关重要的作用。在这篇综述中,作者重点对弓形虫蛋白质翻译后修饰进行简要总结,以期为深入研究弓形虫的生物学特征奠定基础。     

Epigenetic modulation of DNA methylation by nutrition and its mechanisms in animals

It is well known that phenotype of animals may be modified by the nutritional modulations through epigenetic mechanisms. As a key and central component of epigenetic network, DNA methylation is labile in response to nutritional influences. Alterations in DNA methylation profiles can lead to changes in gene expression, resulting in diverse phenotypes with the potential for decreased growth and health.Here, I reviewed the biological process of DNA methylation that results in the addition of methyl groups to DNA; the possible ways including methyl donors, DNA methyltransferase(DNMT) activity and other cofactors, the critical periods including prenatal, postnatal and dietary transition periods, and tissue specific of epigenetic modulation of DNA methylation by nutrition and its mechanisms in animals.     

细胞分化的甲基化调控及其分子机理

长期以来,对细胞分化过程的研究,尤其是对干细胞及其谱系的功能差异分析,主要集中在基因的转录水平调控。然而,越来越多的研究发现,DNA的甲基化、染色质重塑、基因组印记、染色体失活、非编码RNA作用等表观遗传学机制对哺乳动物发育、胚胎细胞分化及癌细胞增殖过程发挥着重要的作用。其中以DNA甲基化这种形式最为常见。作者就DNA甲基化对影响转录、分子调控、神经元发育、遗传等方面的最新研究成果进行综述。