Chromatin structure of repeating CTG/CAG and CGG/CCG sequences in human disease

In eukaryotic cells, chromatin structure organizes genomic DNA in a dynamic fashion, and results in regulation of many DNA metabolic processes. The CTG/CAG and CGG/CCG repeating sequences involved in several neuromuscular degenerative diseases display differential abilities for the binding of histone octamers. The effect of the repeating DNA on nucleosome assembly could be amplified as the number of repeats increases. Also, CpG methylation, and sequence interruptions within the triplet repeats exert an impact on the formation of nucleosomes along these repeating DNAs. The two most common triplet expansion human diseases, myotonic dystrophy 1 and fragile X syndrome, are caused by the expanded CTG/CAG and CGG/CCG repeats, respectively. In addition to the expanded repeats and CpG methylation, histone modifications, chromatin remodeling factors, and noncoding RNA have been shown to coordinate the chromatin structure at both myotonic dystrophy 1 and fragile X loci. Alterations in chromatin structure at these two loci can affect transcription of these disease-causing genes, leading to disease symptoms. These observations have brought a new appreciation that a full understanding of disease gene expression requires a knowledge of the structure of the chromatin domain within which the gene resides.