Special Issue

Epigenetic Mechanisms in Health and Disease

Submission Deadline: May 31, 2018 (Closed)

Guest Editors

Stéphane Viville, PhD

Professor, LABORATOIRE DE DIAGNOSTIC GENETIQUE, UF3472 – Infertilité, Nouvel Hôpital Civil,
1 place de l’Hôpital, 67091 Strasbourg cedex, France

Website | E-Mail

Research Interests: human genetics of infertility; male and female infertility; human gametogenesis; human infertility and epigenetics; embryonic stem cells

Marcel Mannens,

Professor, Department of Clinical Genetics, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Website | E-Mail

Research Interests: genome diagnostics; epigenetics of disease; cardiogenetics

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted through the LIDSEN Submission System. Detailed information on manuscript preparation and submission is available in the Instructions for Authors. All submitted articles will be thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process and will be processed following the Editorial Process and Quality Control policy. Upon acceptance, the article will be immediately published in a regular issue of the journal and will be listed together on the special issue website, with a label that the article belongs to the Special Issue. LIDSEN distributes articles under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) License in an open-access model. The authors own the copyright to the article, and the article can be free to access, distribute, and reuse provided that the original work is correctly cited.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). Research articles and review articles are highly invited. Authors are encouraged to send the tentative title and abstract of the planned paper to the Editorial Office (genetics@lidsen.com) for record. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Editorial Office.

Welcome your submission!

Publication

Open Access Editorial Epigenetics is Here to Stay by Marcel Mannens Received: 24 April 2019;  Published: 30 April 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.1902075 Abstract none

Open Access Review Redirecting Fetal Programming: Evidence of Interventions that May Be A Tool for Health by Camila Sandoval  , Colleen A Lambo  and Michael Carey Satterfield Received: 01 June 2018;  Published: 28 December 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.1804058 Abstract Understanding the pathophysiology of disease can be an essential step to determining where and how to intervene for preventive or corrective health. Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) has been defined in livestock species as impaired gestational development of a fetus or its parts [1]. This broad category of ailments described by low fetal [...]

Open Access Review Genetic and Epigenetic Regulation of Telomere Length: Current Findings, Methodological Limitations and Possibilities for Future Studies by Taylor Lawrence  and Therese M. Murphy Received: 29 October 2018;  Published: 19 December 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.1804055 Abstract Telomeres are TTAGGG repeats located at the end of chromosomes that maintain DNA stability. Telomere length (TL) has been widely implicated as a marker of biological age, and is associated with several human diseases, including depression, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Twin studies and cohort studies estimate heritability of TL between [...]

Open Access Review Distinct Mechanisms of Alterations in DNA Methylation/Demethylation Leading to Myelodysplastic Syndromes/Acute Myeloid Leukemia and Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia by Cristina Bagacean  , Anne Bordron  , Tempescul Adrian  , Jean Christophe Ianotto  , Gaelle Guillerm  , Wesley H Brooks  , Marie-Anne Couturier  , Mihnea Zdrenghea  , Christian Berthou  and Yves Renaudineau Received: 05 June 2018;  Published: 14 December 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.1804054 Abstract Epigenetic dysregulation is present in both myeloid and lymphoid disorders, with important differences reported between myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS)/acute myeloid leukemia (AML), on one hand, and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), on the other. Qualitative differences are reported in MDS/AML with gene fusions (e.g. TET1/LCX) and somatic [...]

Open Access Original Research Evaluation of Classical Statistical Methods for Analyzing BS-Seq Data by Shili Lin  and Hengrui Luo Received: 23 May 2018;  Published: 10 December 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.1804053 Abstract DNA methylation is an epigenetic change that is not only important in normal cell development, but also plays a significant role in human health and disease. Therefore, studies of DNA methylation have been actively pursued to clarify the precise role of this modification in disease etiology and its potential as a biomarker of disease. One [...]

Open Access Review Epigenetics and Infectious Disease: State-of-the-Art and Perspectives in New Generation Therapies by Maddaloni Valeria  , D'Arco Daniela  , Morano Francesca  , Pepe Nicola  and Atripaldi Luigi Received: 30 May 2018;  Published: 12 November 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.1804048 Abstract Infectious diseases are one of the most important causes of morbidity and mortality around the world and have a substantial impact on the health of communities. These diseases are caused by pathogenic microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi. The antibiotics that are currently available are generally considered to be [...]

Open Access Review Epigenetic Regulation by Androgen Receptor in Prostate Cancer by Ken-ichi Takayama Received: 26 May 2018;  Published: 02 November 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.1804047 Abstract Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the world. Androgen receptor (AR), acting as a nuclear receptor, facilitates ligand-dependent transcriptional activation in the nucleus. Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is used for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer because androgen and AR signaling drive prostate tumor growth [...]

Open Access Original Research The Induction of Histone H3K4 Methylation on the SI Gene Correlates with SI mRNA Levels in Enterocyte-Like Caco-2 Cells by Kazuki Mochizuki  , Ayumi Osaki  , Yuko Inamochi  and Toshinao Goda Received: 18 December 2017;  Published: 30 October 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.1804046 Abstract Background: Histone modifications, including acetylation and H3 lysine 4 (K4) methylation, are thought to be associated with transcriptional activation during differentiation. Methods: mRNA and histone modifications around the sucrase-isomaltase (SI) gene in Caco-2 cells (a small intestine cell line) during differentiation [...]

Open Access Original Research Evaluation of Recent Statistical Methods for Detecting Differential Methylation Using BS-seq Data by Chenggong Han  , Hancong Tang  , Shuyuan Lou  , Yuan Gao  , Min Ho Cho  and Shili Lin Received: 23 May 2018;  Published: 14 October 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.1804041 Abstract Whole genome profiling of differential DNA methylation between diseased and normal samples has significant implications in research to understand the role of epigenetic regulations of cells. In recent years, the development of bisulfite sequencing (BS-seq)-based molecular technology has enabled the measurement of DNA methylation at a nucleotid [...]

Open Access Review Current Evidence on the Role of Epigenetic Mechanisms in Migraine: The Way Forward to Precision Medicine by Parisa Gazerani Received: 09 May 2018;  Published: 10 October 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.1804040 Abstract Interactions between genetic and environmental factors in migraine are well known and can potentially determine an individual’s susceptibility to disease and responsiveness to treatment. Consequently, several epigenetic studies have been conducted to determine if and how genes are activated or inactivated in response to a diverse range of [...]

Open Access Review Deciphering the Epigenetic Landscape of Suicidal Behaviour: A Review of Current Findings, Caveats and Future Directions by Stefania Policicchio  , Emma L Dempster  and Therese M Murphy Received: 20 June 2018;  Published: 06 October 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.1804039 Abstract Suicide is the second leading cause of death globally among young people and the tenth leading cause of death across all ages. Approximately 800,000 people die by suicide every year representing a significant global health burden. Despite this burden, the molecular pathology of suicide remains poorly understood. A number of recent studies [...]

Open Access Review Histone O-GlcNAcylation and Potential Biological Functions by Mitsuko Hirosawa  , Koji Hayakawa  , Kunio Shiota  and Satoshi Tanaka Received: 05 July 2018;  Published: 17 September 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.1803036 Abstract Histone modifications play an important role in the control of DNA-based processes by altering the structure and function of chromatin. O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) modification is a form of post-translational modification of proteins that affects the serine (Ser)/threonine (Thr) residues. This [...]

Open Access Review Epigenetics of IgA Nephropathy: A Brief Review by Stamatia Stai Received: 27 May 2018;  Published: 06 September 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.1803032 Abstract Immunoglobin A Nephropathy (IgAN) is the most common primary glomerulonephritis worldwide. Its development is characterized by the deposition of immune complexes that consist of abnormally galactosylated IgA1 molecules and IgG or IgA autoantibodies in the mesangium and the subsequent induction of renal injury. Recent research has shed light [...]

Open Access Review Uniparental Disomy and Imprinting Disorders by Thomas Eggermann  , Deborah J.G. Mackay  and Zeynep Tümer Received: 28 June 2018;  Published: 30 August 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.1803031 Abstract Uniparental disomy (UPD), the inheritance of both homologues of a chromosome from only one parent, has been reported for nearly all human chromosomes. Depending on its mode of formation and time of occurrence, UPD can be present in all cells of an organism, or restricted to some cell lines as a mosaic UPD. Though its general frequency is unkno [...]

Open Access Original Research New Insights into the Epigenetic Activities of Natural Compounds by Melita Vidakovic  , Jessica Marinello  , Maija Lahtela-Kakkonen  , Daumantas Matulis  , Vaida Linkuvienė  , Benoît Y. Michel  , Ruta Navakauskiene  , Michael S. Christodoulou  , Danielle Passarella  , Saulius Klimasauskas  , Christophe Blanquart  , Muriel Cuendet  , Judit Ovadi  , Stéphane Poulain  , Fabien Fontaine-Vive  , Alain Burger  and Nadine Martinet Received: 30 May 2018;  Published: 16 August 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.1803029 Abstract Background: With their varied pharmacophores, natural products are interesting tools to open the drug discovery pipeline. Several plant secondary metabolites are components of the human diet and have reported epigenetic activities. In this study, we screened a small natural compound library for epigenetic activities. Methods: Seventy-one diffe [...]

Open Access Opinion Runs of Homozygosity and Epigenetic Deregulation of Genomic Imprinting by Ivan Y. Iourov  , Svetlana G. Vorsanova  and Yuri B. Yurov Received: 29 May 2018;  Published: 15 August 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.1803028 Abstract Runs of homozygosity (ROH) are uninterrupted contiguous regions within the genome exhibiting allelic homozygosity (alleles are inherited from the same parent). Genome-wide analyses consistently demonstrate that megabase-scale ROH are ubiquitous in humans, reflecting individual demographic history. The number and length of ROH correlate increas [...]

Open Access Original Research Epigenetic Symmetry of DLGAP2: Pre-Implantation Maternal Methylation Switches to a Random Monoallelic Profile in Somatic Tissues by Ana Monteagudo-Sánchez  , Marta Sánchez-Delgado  , Sonia Guara Ciurana  , Jose Medrano  , Maria Eugenia Poo-Llanillo  , Miho Ishida  , Gudrun E. Moore  , Isabel Iglesias-Platas  , Carlos Simón  and David Monk Received: 29 May 2018;  Published: 29 July 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.1803026 Abstract Background: Symmetrical DNA methylation profiles of autosomal genes are associated with equal expression by both alleles. Genes with an allelic imbalance or monoallelic expression are associated with discrete intervals of allele-specific methylation (ASM), as highlighted by genomic imprinting, X-chromosome inactivation and genotype-driven [...]

Open Access Review Non-Coding RNAs in Cutaneous Melanoma Development, Progression and Dissemination by Virginie Vignard  and Delphine Fradin Received: 13 March 2018;  Published: 15 May 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.1802020 Abstract Melanoma is a highly aggressive skin cancer with high incidence worldwide. There is growing evidence that aberrantly expressed non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) play a role in the development, progression and dissemination of melanoma tumor cells. Among the many types of ncRNAs described in this review, the functions of micro- and long non-coding RNAs [...]

Open Access Review Current Understanding of DNA Methylation and Age-related Disease by Eunise M. Aquino  , Miles C. Benton  , Larisa M. Haupt  , Heidi G. Sutherland  , Lyn R. Griffiths  and Rodney A. Lea Received: 12 February 2018;  Published: 11 April 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.1802016 Abstract DNA methylation involves the covalent transfer of a methyl group to the C-5 position of the cytosine ring on a DNA strand. DNA methylation is both heritable and modifiable and can affect gene expression. In recent years, epigenome-wide association studies using high-throughput technologies have associated variation in DNA methylation levels [...]

Open Access Review The Role of Epigenetics in Developmental Programming and the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease by Kazuki Mochizuki  , Chihiro Imai  , Noriko Sato  and Takeo Kubota Received: 20 June 2017;  Published: 19 October 2017;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.1704008 Abstract A number of epidemiological studies have suggested that environmental stresses, such as malnutrition during the fetal period, can induce development of metabolic disorders, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension, and and even psychiatric disorders in later life. This theory model is known as the Developmental Origins of Health [...]