• Interdisciplinary Bio Central
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• 제1권1호
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• pp.4.1-4.7
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• 2009

Introduction: Histone modifications and DNA methylation are the major factors in epigenetic gene regulation. Especially, revealing how histone modifications are related to DNA methylation is one of the challenging problems in this field. In this paper, we address this issue and propose several plausible mechanisms for precise controlling of DNA methylation status at CpG islands. Materials and Methods: To establish the regulatory relationships, we used 38 histone modification types including H2A.Z and CTCF, and DNA methylation status at CpG islands across chromosome 6, 20, and 22 of human CD4+ T cell. We utilized Bayesian network to construct regulatory network. Results and Discussion: We found several meaningful relationships supported by previous studies. In addition, our results show that histone modifications can be clustered into several groups with different regulatory properties. Based on those findings we predicted the status of methylation level at CpG islands with high accuracy, and suggested core-regulatory network to control DNA methylation status.

• 생명과학회지
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• 제17권4호
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• pp.593-598
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• 2007

Amino acids of histone tail are covalently modified in eukaryotic cells. Lysine residues in histone H3 and H4 are methylated at three levels; mono-, di- or trimethylation. Methylation in histones is related with transcription of the genes in distinct pattern depending on lysine residues and methylated levels. Relation between transcription and methylation has been relatively well understood at three lysines H3K4, H3K9 and H3K36. H3K4 is methylated in active or potentially active chromatin and its methylation associates with active transcription. H3K9 is generally methylated in heterochromatin or repressed gene, but trimethylation of this lysine occur in actively transcribed genes also. Methylation at H3K36 generally correlates with active chromatin/transcription, but the correlation of its dimethylation with transcription is controversial. All together methylation patterns of individual lysine residues in histone relate with activation or repression of transcription and may provide distinctive roles in transcriptional regulation of the eukaryotic genes.

• 생명과학회지
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• 제30권8호
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• pp.713-721
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• 2020

Adipogenesis의 연구는 인간의 지방생물학의 기초적인 분자기전을 이해하고, 비만, 당뇨 및 대사성 증후군의 발병기전을 밝히는데 필요하다. Adipogenesis의 많은 연구가 adipocytes 특이적인 핵심 전사인자인 PPARγ와 C/EBPα를 중심으로 하는 유전자 발현조절 및 세포 내 신호전달에 초점이 맞추어 활발하게 연구가 진행되었다. 그러나, 에피지놈 변형효소나 히스톤 돌연변이에 의한 에피지놈 관점에서 adipogenesis 연구는 미흡한 실정이다. 포유동물에서 히스톤 methylation은 유전자 발현에 대한 주요 후성유전적(epigenome) 변형 중 하나이며, 특히 히스톤 H3 lysine methylation은 다양한 조직 및 기관 발생과정과 세포 분화에 매우 중요한 히스톤 변형이다. 세포 특이적 enhancer는 adipogenesis에서 active enhancer 표지자인 H3K27ac와 함께 H3K4me1로 변형된다. MLL4는 Pparg 및 Cebpa 유전자 ehancers에서 중요한 adipogenic H3K4 mono-methyltransferase이다. 따라서 MLL4는 adipogenesis에 중요한 에피지놈 변형효소라고 할 수 있다. 유전자 발현 억제를 유발하는 대표적인 히스톤 변형인 H3K27me3은 Polycomb repressive complex 2의 효소활성 subunit인 Ezh2에 의해 매개된다. Wnt 유전자에서 Ezh2에 의한 H3K27me3 히스톤 methylation 변형은 adipogenesis를 증가시키는데, 이는 WNT 신호 전달이 adipogenesis의 억제 조절자로 알려져 있기 때문이다. 본 논문은 유전자 발현을 근본적으로 조절하는 히스톤 H3 methylation에 의한 후성 유전학적인 조절이 어떻게 adipogenesis를 조절하는지에 대해 요약한다.

• 생명과학회지
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• 제17권3호통권83호
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• pp.444-453
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• 2007

유핵세포의 게놈(genome)은 단백-DNA복합체인 염색질(chromatin)의 형태로 존재하는데, 생명현상을 유지하기 위해서는 생명체 또는 세포가 처한 상황에 맞게 염색질의 구조를 변화시키는 역동적인 조절기전이 필요하다. 염색질을 구성하는 기본단위는 히스톤 8량체 (histone octamer)를 포함하는 뉴클레오좀(nucleosome)이다. 히스톤 단백에는 여러 종류의 공유결합성 수식이 일어나는데, 그 중 하나가 라이신 잔기(lysine residue)에 일어나는 메틸화이다. 최근 수년간의 연구로 여러 개의 히스톤 라이신 메틸화효소(histone lysine methyltransferase, HKMT), 이에 결합하는 염색질단백 및 메틸화와 관련된 후생유전학적 현상이 밝혀졌으며, 특히 정밀한 연구방법을 동원한 다방면의 실험을 통하여 비록 자세한 기전과 전체적인 윤곽의 규명은 미흡하더라도 라이신 메틸화가 후생유전학적 변화를 초래하는 일부 과정이 규명 되었다. 또한 여러 종류의 라이신 탈메틸화효소가 최근에 발견됨에 따라, 아세틸화, 인산화등 다른 공유결합성 수식보다는 상대 적으로 안정되더라도, 히스톤 메 틸화로 유발되는 후생유전학적 변화가 불가역성이 아님을 알게 되었다.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제20권3호
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• pp.423-428
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• 2005

Immediately after fertilization, a chromatin remodeling process in the oocyte cytoplasm extracts protamine molecules from the sperm-derived DNA and loads histones onto it. We examined how the histone H3-lysine 9 methylation system is established on the remodeled sperm chromatin in mice. We found that the paternal pronucleus was not stained for dimethylated H3-K9 (H3-$m_2K9$) during pronucleus development, while the maternal genome stained intensively. Such H3-$m_2K9$ asymmetry between the parental pronuclei was independent of $HP1{\beta}$ localization and, much like DNA methylation, was preserved to the two-cell stage when the nucleus appeared to be compartmentalized for H3-$m_2K9$. A conspicuous increase in H3-$m_2K9$ level was observed at the four-cell stage, and then the level was maintained without a visible change up to the blastocyst stage. The behavior of H3-$m_2K9$ was very similar, but not identical, to that of 5-methylcytosine during preimplantation development, suggesting that there is some connection between methylation of histone and of DNA in early mouse development.

• BMB Reports
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• 제50권11호
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• pp.537-538
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• 2017

Hypoxia affects various physiological and pathophyological processes. Hypoxia changes the expression of hypoxia-responsive genes through two main pathways. First, hypoxia activates transcription factors (TF) such as Hypoxia-inducible Factor (HIF). Second, hypoxia decreases the activity of Jumonji C domain-containing histone demethylases (JMJDs) that require $O_2$ and ${\alpha}$-Ketoglutarate (${\alpha}$-KG) as substrates. The JMJDs affect gene expression through their regulation of active or repressive histone methylations. Profiling of H3K4me3, H3K9me3, and H3K27me3 under both normoxia and hypoxia identified 75 TFs whose binding motifs were significantly enriched in the methylated regions of the genes. TFs showing similar binding strengths to their target genes might be under the 'metabolic control' which changes histone methylation and gene expression by instant changing catalytic activities of resident histone demethylases.

• Animal cells and systems
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• 제16권4호
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• pp.289-294
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• 2012

Histone methylation has diverse functions including transcriptional regulation via its lysine or arginine residue methylation. Studies indicate that deregulation of histone methylation is linked to human cancers including leukemia. Histone H3K27 methyltrnasferase response element II binding protein (RE-IIBP), as a transcriptional repressor to target gene IL-5, interacts with HDAC and is over-expressed in leukemia patient samples. In this study, we have identified that hematopoiesis-related genes GATA1 and HOXA9 are down-regulated by RE-IIBP in K562 and 293T cells. Transient reporter analysis revealed that GATA1 transcription was repressed by RE-IIBP. On the other hand, HOXA9 and PBX-related homeobox gene MEIS1 was up-regulated by RE-IIBP. These results suggest that RE-IIBP might have a role in hematopoiesis or leukemogenesis by regulating the transcription of target genes, possibly via its H3K27 methyltransferase activity.

• BMB Reports
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• 제42권4호
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• pp.227-231
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• 2009

The eukaryotic genome forms a chromatin structure that contains repeating nucleosome structures. Nucleosome packaging is regulated by chromatin remodeling factors such as histone chaperones. The Saccharomyces cerevisiae H3/H4 histone chaperones, CAF-1 and Asf1, regulate DNA replication and chromatin assembly. CAF-1 function is largely restricted to non-transcriptional processes in heterochromatin, whereas Asf1 regulates transcription together with another H3/H4 chaperone, HIR. This study examined the role of the yeast H3/H4 histone chaperones, Asf1, HIR, and CAF-1 in chromatin dynamics during transcription. Unexpectedly, CAF-1 was recruited to the actively transcribed region in a similar way to HIR and Asf1. In addition, the three histone chaperones genetically interacted with Set2-dependent H3 K36 methylation. Similar to histone chaperones, Set2 was required for tolerance to excess histone H3 but not to excess H2A, suggesting that CAF-1, Asf1, HIR, and Set2 function in a related pathway and target chromatin during transcription.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• 제31권3호
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• pp.81-86
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• 2006

SET (Suppressor of variegation, Enhancer of zeste, and the Trithorax) domain-containing proteins are known to have methyltransferase activity at lysine residues of histone proteins. In this study, we identified a novel SET domain-containing protein from mouse and named Kodo7. Indeed, Kodo7 has methyltransferase activity at K9 residue of the H3 protein as demonstrated by a histone methyl-transferse activity assay using GST-tagged Kodo7. Confocal microscopy showed that Kodo7 is co-localized with histones in the nucleus. Interestingly, ectopic expression of Kodo7 by transient transfection induced cell death and treatment of the transfectants with a caspase-3 inhibitor, Ac-DEVD-AFC decreased Kodo7-induced apoptosis. These results suggest that Kodo7 induces apoptotic cell death through increased methylation of histones leading to transcriptional repression.

• 생명과학회지
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• 제28권12호
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• pp.1536-1544
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• 2018

우울증은 심각하며 재발하는 흔한 정신질환이다. 우울증은 환경 요인과 유전 요인, 그리고 신경생물학적 체계의 구조 및 기능의 변화로 발병한다. 후성유전학적 변화가 우울증과 관련 된다는 여러 연구들이 보고되었다. 후성 유전은 환경 요인이 크로마틴 구조를 변화시켜 DNA 염기 서열 변화 없이 유전자 발현을 조절하는 기전으로 설명된다. DNA 메틸화와 히스톤 아세틸화 및 메틸화를 포함하고 있는 히스톤 변형이 주요 후성유전기전으로 알려져 있다. 우울증 동물모델연구에서는 생애 초기 스트레스 같은 스트레스 환경이 게놈에 지속적으로 후성유전표지를 남기게 되고 이로 인해 유전자 발현이 변화되고 결국 성체가 되었을 때 신경 기능이나 행동 기능에 영향을 미치게 된다고 설명하고 있다. BDNF는 우울증과 관련된 대표적인 유전자로 알려져 있다. 설치류가 출생 전, 후, 그리고 성체 기간에 스트레스에 노출되면 해마에서 BDNF 유전자의 히스톤 변형과 DNA 메틸화 패턴이 변화되고 이로 인해 BDNF 발현이 변화된다. 이러한 과정은 불안과 우울 행동에도 영향을 미치게 된다. 본 종설에서는 BDNF 유전자의 히스톤 변형 및 DNA 메틸화와 같은 우울증 발병에 관여하는 후성유전기전의 최신 지견에 대해 논의하여 우울증 치료의 새로운 타겟 개발에 도움이 되고자 한다.