Epigenetic therapy is the proposed method for the treatment and prevention of various diseases and pathologies through exposure (usually medication) to the patient’s epigenic . The origin of the method is associated with the development of the theory of epigenetic inheritance .
Content
Applications
Diabetic Retinopathy
Diabetic retinopathy is traditionally associated with a number of epigenetic changes, including methylation of the SOD2 and MMP-9 genes and excessive transcription of the LSD1 gene [1] . Various methods for correcting these changes are currently under consideration, including those using vorinostat and romidepsin .
Cell therapy using reprogrammed cells
Using induced stem cells obtained by epigenetic reprogramming of cells, various diseases can be treated using cell therapy methods [2] [3] .
Cancer Treatment
When a cancer tumor occurs, it suppresses the protective anti-tumor mechanisms in the cells. To re-activate these mechanisms, in particular, azacitidine and decitabine are used [4] [5] [6] [7] .
Schizophrenia Treatment
A predisposition to schizophrenia is presumably associated with a low level of acetylation of certain histone sites [8] , as well as with DNA methylation. To correct these disorders, drugs based on histone methyltransferases and deacetylases can be used [9] . Even if this technique does not completely cure schizophrenia, epigenetic therapy can significantly improve the quality of life.
Sexual Orientation
At the end of 2012, a group of researchers published a hypothesis of the epigenetic origin of homosexuality [10] , which can explain the mechanism of its inheritance in the absence of the corresponding gene [11] . In the framework of the hypothesis, it is assumed that a homosexual orientation is formed due to the transfer of epi-marks from a parent of the opposite sex. Soon after publication, suggestions were made about the potential for changing sexual orientation through epigenetic drugs [12] .
Notes
- ↑ Kowluru, Renu A .; Julia M. Santos; Manish Mishra. Epigenetic Modifications and Diabetic Retinopathy (Eng.) // BioMed Research International : journal. - 2013. - P. 1-9 . - DOI : 10.1155 / 2013/635284 .
- ↑ Lemey, C., Milhavet, O., & Lemaitre, JM (2015). iPSCs as a major opportunity to understand and cure age-related diseases . Biogerontology, 16 (4), 399-410 DOI : 10.1007 / s10522-015-9579-7
- ↑ Inoue, H., Nagata, N., Kurokawa, H., & Yamanaka, S. (2014). iPS cells: a game changer for future medicine . The EMBO journal, 33 (5), 409-417. DOI : 10.1002 / embj.201387098
- ↑ Vendetti, Frank P .; Charles M. Rudin. Epigenetic Therapy in Non-small-cell Lung Cancer: Targeting DNA Methyltransferases and Histone Deacetylases (Eng.) // Expert Opinion on Biological Therapy : journal. - 2013 .-- Vol. 13 , no. 9 . - P. 1273-1285 . - DOI : 10.1517 / 14712598.2013.819337 .
- ↑ Huili, Li. Immune Regulation by Low Doses of the DNA Methyltransferase Inhibitor 5-azacitidine in Common Human Epithelial Cancers // Russian Oncotarget : journal. - 2014 .-- Vol. 5 , no. 3 .
- ↑ Foulks, JM; et al. Epigenetic Drug Discovery: Targeting DNA Methyltransferases (Eng.) // Journal of Biomolecular Screening : journal. - 2012. - Vol. 17 , no. 1 . - P. 2-17 . - DOI : 10.1177 / 1087057111421212 .
- ↑ Li, Y .; SC Casey, DW Felscher. Inactivation of MYC Reverses Tumorigenesis (Eng.) // Journal of Internal Medicine : journal. - 2014 .-- DOI : 10.1111 / joim.12237 .
- ↑ Scientists have found the epigenetic roots of schizophrenia
- ↑ Gavin DP, Sharma RP Histone modifications, DNA methylation, and schizophrenia (English) // Neurosci Biobehav Rev : journal. - Vol. 34 , no. 6 . - P. 882-888 . - DOI : 10.1016 / j.neubiorev.2009.10.10.010 . - PMID 19879893 .
- ↑ William R. Rice, Urban Friberg, Sergey Gavrilets. Homosexuality as a Consequence of Epigenetically Canalized Sexual Development (Eng.) // The Quarterly Review of Biology : journal. - University of Chicago Press . - DOI : 10.1086 / 668167 .
- ↑ The phenomenon of homosexuality was explained in terms of epigenetics
- ↑ Tim Spector . Why Does the Search for a Gay Gene Freak Everyone Out? , Slate .