Abstract
Available treatments for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and Huntington's disease, do not arrest disease progression but mainly help keeping patients from getting worse for a limited period of time. Increasing evidence suggests that epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation and histone tail modifications are dynamically regulated in neurons and play a fundamental role in learning and memory processes. In addition, both global and gene-specific epigenetic changes and deregulated expression of the writer and eraser proteins of epigenetic marks are believed to contribute to the onset and progression of neurodegeneration. Studies in animal models of neurodegenerative diseases have highlighted the potential role of epigenetic drugs, including inhibitors of histone deacetylases and methyl donor compounds, in ameliorating the cognitive symptoms and preventing or delaying the motor symptoms of the disease, thereby opening the way for a potential application in human pathology.
Highlights
Epigenetic processes, including DNA methylation and posttranslational modifications of the histone tails, influence gene expression levels without involving changes of the primary DNA sequence, and play a fundamental role in embryonic development, cell differentiation, and maintenance of the cellular identity (Martín-Subero, 2011)
Increasing evidence suggests that epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation and histone tail modifications are dynamically regulated in neurons and play a fundamental role in learning and memory processes
CONCLUDING REMARKS The studies described in this manuscript provided evidence that targeting the epigenome, mainly with small drugs such as Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors (HDACi) that are able to cross the blood brain barrier, delayed the onset and progression of the symptoms in animal models of neurodegenerative disease (Table 2)
Summary
Epigenetic processes, including DNA methylation and posttranslational modifications of the histone tails, influence gene expression levels without involving changes of the primary DNA sequence, and play a fundamental role in embryonic development, cell differentiation, and maintenance of the cellular identity (Martín-Subero, 2011).
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