Habitat-induced reciprocal transformation in the root phenotype of Oriental ginseng is associated with alteration in DNA methylation

Oriental ginseng is an important medicinal plant that grows in 2 major forms or ecotypes, wild and domesticated. Each form differs conspicuously in root phenotype, but can be converted from one type to another by habitat. Here we show that the habitat-induced transformation of ginseng root phenotype was accompanied by alteration in cytosine methylation at a large number of 5′-CCGG-3′ sites detected by the methylation-sensitive polymorphism (MSAP) marker. The collective CG and CHG methylation levels of all 4 landraces of the domesticated form were significantly lower than those of the wild form. Interestingly, artificially transplanted ginseng plants recreated in both directions the methylation levels (at least in CHG) of their natural counterparts. The methylation differences between the 2 ginseng ecotypes were validated at 2 isolated MSAP loci bearing homology to a 5S rRNA gene or a copia retrotransposon. Our results implicate a link between epigenetic variation and habitat-induced phenotypic flexibility in Oriental ginseng.     

Role of Tip60 tumor suppressor in DNA repair pathway

To prevent the damage caused by DNA strand breaks, eukaryotic cells have evolved a series of highly conserved DNA repair mechanisms. The ubiquitously expressed acetyltransferase, Tip60, plays a central role in ATM (ataxia-telangiectasia mutated) activation which is involved in DNA repair. Recent work uncovered a new mechanism of ATM activation mediated by Tip60 and demonstrated that histone methylation, specifically, trimethylation of histone H3, is a key factor in the process. Here, we review the current understanding of how Tip60 is activated and how it activates ATM in response to DNA damage.     

Histone methylation and ubiquitination with their cross-talk and roles in gene expression and stability

Methylation of lysine residues of histones is associated with functionally distinct regions of chromatin, and, therefore, is an important epigenetic mark. Over the past few years, several enzymes that catalyze this covalent modification on different lysine residues of histones have been discovered. Intriguingly, histone lysine methylation has also been shown to be cross-regulated by histone ubiquitination or the enzymes that catalyze this modification. These covalent modifications and their cross-talks play important roles in regulation of gene expression, heterochromatin formation, genome stability, and cancer. Thus, there has been a very rapid progress within past several years towards elucidating the molecular basis of histone lysine methylation and ubiquitination, and their aberrations in human diseases. Here, we discuss these covalent modifications with their cross-regulation and roles in controlling gene expression and stability. Received 24 September 2008; received after revision 21 November 2008; accepted 28 November 2008     

m6A修饰在骨肉瘤中分子机制的研究进展

N6-甲基腺苷(m6A)是真核生物mRNA中最丰富的表观遗传修饰之一,在多种疾病尤其是肿瘤中发挥重要作用。m6A修饰受到甲基转移酶、去甲基化酶和RNA结合蛋白的动态调控。骨肉瘤是一种好发于儿童和青少年的恶性骨肿瘤之一,近年来骨肉瘤发生率呈上升趋势,m6A修饰的调控表达与骨肉瘤的发生发展及预后相关。本文就m6A修饰在骨肉瘤发生发展、化疗耐药、靶向治疗、预后转归的分子机制方面的研究进行综述,旨在为骨肉瘤的早期诊断和靶向治疗提供新思路。     

DNA methylation of fly genes and transposons

The use of anti-5-methylcytosine antibodies in affinity columns allowed the identification of methylated sequences in the genome of Drosophila melanogaster adults. In view of the presence of transposable elements amongst the identified sequences, it has been suggested that DNA methylation is involved in transposon control in the fly genome. On the contrary, a reanalysis of these data furnishes several intriguing elements that could raise new questions about the role that DNA methylation plays in the fly genome. The aim of the present paper is to discuss some features that emerge from the analysis of the identified methylated sequences. Received 26 January 2006; received after revision 8 May 2006; accepted 2 June 2006     

亚硝胺类化合物诱导小鼠食管病变与基因组甲基化的关系研究

研究亚硝胺类化合物诱导小鼠食管发生病变与基因甲基化的关系,在亚硝酸钠（NaNO2）和N,N-二甲基苄胺（N,N-Dimethylbenzylamine）混合物诱导小鼠食管病变过程中,定期取小鼠食管,一部分做病理切片观察组织学变化;另一部分提取组织DNA做变性高效液相色谱（Denaturing High Performance Liquid Chromatography,DHPLC）,检测基因组甲基化修饰的改变。结果在亚苄混合物诱导的小鼠食管癌变过程中,全基因组甲基化修饰是逐渐降低的,在达到一定程度后即保持一种稳态。此时组织病理学才发生光镜下可见的改变。说明全基因组甲基化修饰的逐渐降低可能是亚硝胺类化合物诱导食管发生病变的途径之一．这种基因修饰的变化有助于进一步研究食管鳞癌发生的分子机制。     

模板甲基化水平对鼠肝RNA聚合酶体外转录活性的影响

利用３Ｈ－ＵＴＰ同位素参入法，研究了大鼠肝细胞ＲＮＡ聚合酶在核内外的转录活性，结果表明：在细胞核内的转录活性明显低于在无核抽提物中的转录活性。利用自身的ＤＮＡ模板，优于利用外加的ＤＮＡ模板。并比较了不同ＤＮＡ甲基化水平的模板对ＲＮＡ聚合酶体外转录活性的影响，发现模板的甲基化水平与其体外转录水平呈反相关。     

Gene inactivation triggered by recognition between DNA repeats

This chapter focuses on phenomena of gene inactivation resulting from the presence of repeated gene copies within the genome of plants and fungi, and on their possible relationships to homologous DNA-DNA interactions. Emphasis is given to two related premeiotic processes: Methylation Induced Premeiotically (MIP) and Repeat-Induced Point mutation (RIP) which take place in the fungiAscobolus immersus andNeurospora crassa, respectively. The relationships between these processes and genetic recombination are discussed.