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Review
. 2013 Dec 5:5:85.
doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2013.00085.

DNA methylation, a hand behind neurodegenerative diseases

Haoyang Lu  1 , Xinzhou Liu  1 , Yulin Deng  1 , Hong Qing  1
Affiliations
Review

DNA methylation, a hand behind neurodegenerative diseases

Haoyang Lu et al. Front Aging Neurosci. .

Abstract

Epigenetic alterations represent a sort of functional modifications related to the genome that are not responsible for changes in the nucleotide sequence. DNA methylation is one of such epigenetic modifications that have been studied intensively for the past several decades. The transfer of a methyl group to the 5 position of a cytosine is the key feature of DNA methylation. A simple change as such can be caused by a variety of factors, which can be the cause of many serious diseases including several neurodegenerative diseases. In this review, we have reviewed and summarized recent progress regarding DNA methylation in four major neurodegenerative diseases: Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), Huntington's disease (HD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The studies of these four major neurodegenerative diseases conclude the strong suggestion of the important role DNA methylation plays in these diseases. However, each of these diseases has not yet been understood completely as details in some areas remain unclear, and will be investigated in future studies. We hope this review can provide new insights into the understanding of neurodegenerative diseases from the epigenetic perspective.

Keywords: Alzheimer's disease; DNA methylation; Huntington's disease; Parkinson's disease; amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Metabolic pathway of DNA methylation. HCY/SAM cycle ensures the continuous transport of methyl group from SAM to cytosine, providing the raw material of DNA methylation. Enzymes are shown in red while substrates and products are shown in black. Red line marks the step where the pathway can be blocked by deficiency of folate, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12, and such block results in HCY accumulation and other biological effects.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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