[Mammalian DNA methylation and its roles during the induced re-programming of somatic cells]

The technology of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPS) provides the possibility to reverse the terminal differentiated cells to pluripotent stem cells, and is therefore of great importance in both the theoretical research of stem cells and regenerative medicine. However, the efficiency of current induced reprogramming methods is extremely low, and the incomplete reprogramming often happens. It has been reported that some epigenetic memory of the somatic cells exists in these incomplete reprogrammed iPS cells, and DNA methylation, as a relative long-term and stable epigenetic modification, is one of the important factors that influence the efficiency of reprogramming and differentiative capacity of iPS cells. Mammalian DNA methylation, which normally appears on the CpG sites, occurs on the fifth carbon atom of the cytosine ring. DNA methylation can modulate the expression of somatic cell specific genes, and pluripotent genes; hence, it plays important roles in the processes of mammalian gene regulation, embryonic development and cell reprogramming. In addition, it has also been found that abnormal DNA methylation may lead to the disorder of genetic imprinting and the inactivation of X chromosome in iPS cells. Therefore, in order to provide a concise guidance of DNA methylation studies in iPS, we mainly review the mechanism, the distribution features of DNA methylation, and its roles in induced reprogramming of somatic cells.