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Epigenome editing and epigenetic gene regulation in disease phenotypes

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Abstract

Proper gene control across space and time is crucial for the seamless execution of various cellular functions. Rapid advancements in genome-wide studies revealed that in addition to genetic mutations, epigenetic modifications also play an important role in cellular processes and disease development. Epigenetic modifications, including DNA methylation and post-translational modifications on histones via methylation, acetylation, phosphorylation, etc., do not alter DNA sequences. Yet, disruptions of the epigenome can still induce gene malfunction, aberrant cell differentiation, proliferation, and apoptosis, resulting in various diseases such as cancer, neurological disorders, and autoimmune diseases. This review describes the association between epigenetic modifications and disease phenotypes, current techniques to perturb the epigenome and analyze changes in gene expression, and perspectives on future epigenetic research.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Hao Deng, Sahla Syed, Emilia Leyes, and other Lim lab members for helpful comments and discussions. The figures were created with BioRender.com. This work was supported by the NIH R35GM133425 awarded to BL.

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  1. Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, 220 S. 33rd St., Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA

    Gaochen Jin & Bomyi Lim

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  1. Gaochen Jin
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Correspondence to Bomyi Lim.

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Bomyi Lim obtained B.S. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from University of Pennsylvania in 2010. Bomyi received her Ph.D. in Chemical and Biological Engineering from Princeton University in 2015. She worked as an NIH F32 postdoctoral fellow at the Lewis-Sigler Institute of Genomics at Princeton University between 2016–2017. In 2018, she joined University of Pennsylvania as an Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. The Lim lab focuses on characterizing the normal range of gene expression kinetics that ensures normal development, using a combination of genome editing, quantitative live imaging, and mathematical modeling. Bomyi received R35 Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIR) for early-stage investigators in 2020 and the NSF CAREER award in 2021.

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Jin, G., Lim, B. Epigenome editing and epigenetic gene regulation in disease phenotypes. Korean J. Chem. Eng. 39, 1361–1367 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11814-022-1076-5

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