Fig. 1: Epigenetic regulation of DNA methylation, histone acetylation, and histone methylation.
From: Targeting epigenetic regulators for cancer therapy: mechanisms and advances in clinical trials
Gene silencing in mammalian cells is usually caused by methylation of DNA CpG islands together with hypoacetylated and hypermethylated histones. The “writers” (DNMTs, HATs, and HMTs) and “erasers” (DNA-demethylating enzymes, HDACs, and KDMs) are enzymes responsible for transferring or removing chemical groups to or from DNA or histones; MBDs and other binding proteins are “readers” that recognize methyl-CpGs and modified histones. DNMTs, DNA methyltransferases; MBDs, methyl-CpG binding domain proteins; HATs, histone acetylases; HDACs, histone deacetylases; HMTs, histone methyltransferases; KDMs, histone-demethylating enzymes.
