Abstract
Role of X Chromosome Encoded miRNAs in Autoimmunity
Highlights
Autoimmune disorders develop when the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys its own healthy tissues
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease estimated to affect about 1.5 million Americans
DNA methylation is one of the mechanisms that contribute to repressive chromatin modifications associated with specific silencing of the genes from Xi
Summary
Autoimmune disorders develop when the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys its own healthy tissues. Environmentally-induced epigenetic changes and, in particular, altered patterns of DNA methylation, have been implicated as a mechanism by which environment–host interactions contribute to some forms of autoimmunity [1,2]. To neutralize the gene dosage difference of the X chromosome between the genders, one of the two X chromosomes is inactivated in females, silencing the gene expression from inactive X (Xi). DNA methylation is one of the mechanisms that contribute to repressive chromatin modifications associated with specific silencing of the genes from Xi. Despite this chromosome-wide silencing, about 15% of X-linked genes escape X inactivation in women and are expressed biallelically [5].
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