表观调控和神经干细胞分化_英文_.pdfVIP

Neuroscience Bulletin July 30, 2007, 23(4): 241-248. http :// 241 ·Minireview· Epigenetics and neural stem cell commitment Hai-Liang TANG, Jian-Hong ZHU Department of Neurosurgery, Fudan University, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai 200040, China National Key Laboratory for Medical Neurobiology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China Abstract: Neural stem cell is presently the research hotspot in neuroscience. Recent progress indicates that epigenetic modulation is closely related to the self-renewal and differentiation of neural stem cell. Epigenetics refer to the study of mitotical/meiotical heritage changes in gene function that cannot be explained by changes in the DNA sequence. Major epigenetic mechanisms include DNA methylation, histone modification, chromatin remodeling, genomic imprinting, and non-coding RNA. In this review, we focus on the new insights into the epigenetic mechanism for neural stem cells fate. Key words: stem cells; epigenesis; neuron restrictive silencer element; genomic imprinting; H19; non-coding RNA Epigenetics, a newly arising subject in genetics, refers gene regulatory processes, for instance, genomic imprint- to the heritable changes of gene function that would ulti- ing[4]. In vertebrates, DNA methylation mainly takes place mately result in cellular specification transformation with- at CpG dinucleotides. Clusters of CpG dimer known as CpG out altering the genome sequence. In 1942, Waddington islands are located on the region of gene promoter. During CH firstly raised the term “epigenetics”, pointing out that it the process of DNA methylation, cytosine is out of DNA was related to genetics and mainly dealt with the links be- double helix and e