DNA methylation and personalized medicine

Area of Science:

• Pharmacogenomics and Epigenetics
• Molecular Biology
• Drug Metabolism and Response

Background:

• Interindividual variability in drug response is significantly influenced by gene expression differences.
• DNA methylation, a key epigenetic modification, regulates gene expression and can affect genes involved in drug metabolism, transport, and targets.
• Altered pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics can result from DNA methylation in these critical genes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent advancements in pharmacoepigenetics, with a specific focus on the role of DNA methylation.
• To explore how DNA methylation of drug-response-related genes impacts drug efficacy and safety.

Main Methods:

• A literature search was conducted using the PubMed database.
• Keywords included "DNA methylation," "drug response," "drug metabolizing enzymes (DMEs)," "drug transporters," "drug target," and "SNPs."
• The search focused on DNA methylation of drug-response genes and DNA methylation-related single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in pharmacogenomics.

Main Results:

• Research demonstrates that DNA methylation of drug-response genes significantly alters their function.
• This phenomenon is particularly well-documented in the contexts of cancer chemotherapy and drug resistance.
• The influence of microRNA (miRNA) polymorphisms in these processes warrants further investigation.

Conclusions:

• DNA methylation-mediated genetic variations are increasingly recognized as mechanisms underlying altered drug response and disease susceptibility.
• These findings highlight the importance of incorporating DNA methylation into personalized medicine strategies.
• Further research is needed to fully elucidate the impact of miRNA polymorphisms on DNA methylation and drug response.