Epigenetic Regulation of Autophagy in Inflammatory Diseases

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Epigenetic Regulation of Autophagy in Inflammatory Diseases is written by Kai Wang and published by Frontiers Media SA. It's available with International Standard Book Number or ISBN identification 2832546056 (ISBN 10) and 9782832546055 (ISBN 13).

Epigenetics refers to changes in the expression of heritable genes or cellular phenotypes caused by regulating DNA methylation, histone modification, chromatin remodeling, and noncoding RNA expression, without altering the DNA sequence. It plays a critical role in the regulation of many physiological and pathological processes, such as inflammation, immunity, and tumor. In particular, many epigenetic modifiers have been found to affect innate cell development, infection, and inflammatory responses by regulating gene-specific expression. Epigenetic abnormalities often result in changes in gene expression and its function, which in turn promote the process of inflammation and even tumorigenesis. Autophagy is a highly conserved subcellular degradation process by which some damaged organelles, misfolded proteins, nucleic acids, and pathogenic microorganisms are digested to maintain homeostasis. Autophagy dysregulation has been implicated in multiple diseases, including inflammation, tumors, and neurodegenerative diseases. It is not only a cytoplasmic event, but also involved in the regulation of nuclear components, including histone modifications, microRNA, and transcription factors. Methyltransferase-mediated histone modifications (H3K9me2, H3R17me2, and H3K27me3), miRNAs, and DNA methylation catalyzed by DNA methyltransferase are the key nuclear factors involved in the regulation of autophagy. In addition, some autophagy-related genes (Atgs) promote or inhibit the autophagic process through epigenetic modifications, such as histone modifications and DNA methylation, affecting the occurrence and development of inflammatory diseases. Studying the role of epigenetic regulation of autophagy in inflammatory diseases may help identify novel drug targets and develop potential diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. Although the biological and clinical significance of epigenetic modification of autophagy has attracted more and more attention from researchers, this regulation is very complex and its role and mechanism in inflammatory diseases are still unclear.