Abstract
Tuberculosis (TB), an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection, has persisted as a major global public health threat for millennia. Until now, TB continues to challenge efforts aimed at controlling it, with drug resistance and latent infections being the two main factors hindering treatment efficacy. The scientific community is still striving to understand the underlying mechanisms behind Mtb’s drug resistance and latent infection. DNA methylation, a critical epigenetic modification occurring throughout an individual's growth and development, has gained attention following advances in high-throughput sequencing technologies. Researchers have observed abnormal DNA methylation patterns in the host genome during Mtb infection. Given the escalating issue of drug-resistant Mtb, delving into the role of DNA methylation in TB's development is crucial. This review article explores DNA methylation's significance in human growth, development and disease, and its role in regulating Mtb’s evolution and infection processes. Additionally, it discusses potential applications of DNA methylation research in tuberculosis.
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This work was supported by the Anhui Provincial Natural Science Foundation (2108085J17), Natural Science Research Project of the Anhui Educational Committee (KJ2021A0813) and Training Programs of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (Byycx21047, Byycx22004, and Byycx23005).
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YQ, TL, ZR and PA wrote the main manuscript text and prepared figures. JX and BT conceived and reviewed the manuscript. All authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript and all authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Qin, Y., Li, T., An, P. et al. Important role of DNA methylation hints at significant potential in tuberculosis. Arch Microbiol 206, 177 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-024-03888-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-024-03888-7