Primer: epigenetics of autoimmunity

Interactions between environmental and genetic factors are proposed to explain why autoimmunity afflicts certain individuals and not others. Genes and genetic loci predisposing to autoimmunity are being identified, but theories as to how the environment contributes to autoimmunity still rely largely on examples such as drug-induced systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and epidemiologic evidence of occupational exposure, without clear mechanistic explanations or identification of specific environmental agents. Eukaryotic gene expression requires not only transcription factor activation but also regional modification of chromatin structure into a transcriptionally permissive configuration through epigenetic mechanisms, including DNA methylation and histone modifications. The realization that epigenetic mechanisms can alter gene expression and, therefore, cellular function has led to new insights into how environmental agents might contribute to the development of diseases in genetically predisposed individuals. The observation that some SLE-inducing drugs, such as procainamide and hydralazine, affect T cell DNA methylation and thereby cellular function, and that identical changes in T cell DNA methylation and cellular function are found in patients with SLE, implicates epigenetic mechanisms in the pathogenesis of human SLE, and perhaps other autoimmune diseases. In this Review we discuss how epigenetic mechanisms affect gene expression, how environmental agents can affect epigenetic mechanisms, and how epigenetic changes in gene expression can contribute to autoimmunity. Similar mechanisms might also contribute to the pathogenesis of other poorly understood human diseases.