The DNA methylome is the part of the epigenome that relates exclusively to DNA methylation. The DNA methylome is thus understood as the entirety of all methyl group attachments to the DNA of an organism, a tissue or even a single cell - genome-wide. The DNA methylome could be described as the methylation fingerprint of a cell or an organism at a specific point in time.
DNA Methylom
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General informationThis section has been translated automatically.
What is methylated: In animals (including humans), mainly cytosine bases in so-called CpG dinucleotides are methylated. The chemical modification is usually 5-methylcytosine.
Function: DNA methylation acts like an epigenetic switch:
High methylation in promoter regions often leads to silencing of a gene or gene segment. With low methylation, genes can be read more easily.
The DNA methylome plays a central role in:
- Cell type-specific gene regulation
- embryonic development
- X-chromosome inactivation
- Genomic imprinting
- Suppression of transposable elements such as IAP elements.
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In contrast to "epigenome", which refers to all epigenetic marks (DNA methylation plus histone modifications, chromatin structure, etc.), the DNA methylome only describes the part that describes the methylation patterns of the DNA.
LiteratureThis section has been translated automatically.
- Tawk B et al. (2022) Tumor DNA-methylome derived epigenetic fingerprint identifies HPV-negative head and neck patients at risk for locoregional recurrence after postoperative radiochemotherapy. Int J Cancer 150:603-616.