Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2014 Jun;47(4):234-41.
doi: 10.3109/08916934.2013.801462. Epub 2014 Apr 24.

Epigenetic regulation of cytokine expression in systemic lupus erythematosus with special focus on T cells

Christian M Hedrich  1 , Jose C Crispin, George C Tsokos
Affiliations
Free article
Review

Epigenetic regulation of cytokine expression in systemic lupus erythematosus with special focus on T cells

Christian M Hedrich et al. Autoimmunity. 2014 Jun.
Free article

Abstract

Epigenetic events play a central role in the priming, differentiation and subset determination of T lymphocytes. Through their influence on chromatin conformation and DNA-accessibility to transcription factors and RNA polymerases, epigenetic marks allow or prevent gene expression and control cellular functions including cytokine expression. CpG-DNA methylation and post-translational modifications to histone tails are the two most well accepted epigenetic mechanisms. The involvement of epigenetic mechanisms in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) has been suggested by the development of lupus-like symptoms by individuals who received procainamide or hydralazine treatment resulting in a reduction of CpG-DNA methylation. To date, a growing body of literature indicates that the deregulation of cytokine expression through epigenetic disturbances can result in altered immune responses and autoimmune reactions. Over the past decade, various global and regional epigenetic alterations have been reported in immune cells from patients with SLE and other autoimmune disorders. More recently, the molecular mechanisms that result in epigenetic disturbances have been addressed, and deregulated transcription factor networks have been demonstrated to mediate epigenetic alterations in B and T lymphocytes from SLE patients. A better understanding of the molecular events that contribute to epigenetic alterations and subsequent immune imbalance is essential for the establishment of disease biomarkers and identification of potential therapeutic targets.

Keywords: Autoimmune disease; SLE; chromatin; epigenetic; inflammation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

LinkOut - more resources