Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 15, 2025
11:12
Immunometabolic Circuits in Infection for Advancing Host Directed Therapies
Published on: September 13, 2024
442
Epigenetic Network in Immunometabolic Disease.
Martin Geiger1, Era Gorica1, Shafeeq Ahmed Mohammed1
1Center for Translational and Experimental Cardiology, University Hospital Zürich and University of Zürich, Wagistrasse 12, Schlieren, Zurich, 8952, Switzerland.
Advanced Biology
|October 5, 2023
Summary
Epigenetic modifications, not just genes, significantly impact immune and metabolic health. Understanding these chromatin changes offers new therapeutic targets for metabolic disorders.
Area of Science:
- Immunometabolism
- Epigenetics
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Genes influence immunometabolic traits, but epigenetic mechanisms are also crucial.
- Epigenetic changes (DNA methylation, histone modification, noncoding RNA) regulate gene activity by altering chromatin accessibility.
- Factors like genetics, lifestyle, and environment drive epigenetic alterations, which can be heritable.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the role of chromatin alterations in transcriptional regulation of genes linked to immuno-metabolic dysregulation.
- To explore potential therapeutic targets for immuno-metabolic disorders based on epigenetic insights.
- To present an overview of novel chromatin-modifying drugs and personalized therapeutic strategies.
Main Methods:
- Literature review focusing on chromatin alterations and gene regulation in immuno-metabolic diseases.
- Analysis of epigenetic mechanisms including DNA methylation, histone modification, and noncoding RNA.
- Discussion of therapeutic implications of epigenetic modifications.
Main Results:
- Chromatin alterations play a key role in modulating genes involved in insulin resistance, systemic inflammation, macrophage polarization, endothelial dysfunction, metabolic cardiomyopathy, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
- Epigenetic dysregulation can be transmitted across generations, influencing offspring's disease susceptibility.
- Emerging chromatin-modifying drugs show promise for therapeutic interventions.
Conclusions:
- Epigenetic mechanisms are critical regulators of immuno-metabolic health and disease.
- Targeting chromatin modifications presents a promising avenue for novel therapeutic strategies.
- Personalized epigenetic profiling is essential for effective treatment of immuno-metabolic disorders.
Related Concept Videos
01:19Psychoneuroimmunology: Diabetes and Cancer
38
Chronic stress has been linked to both the onset and progression of serious health conditions, including Type 2 diabetes and cancer. Type 2 diabetes, a widespread chronic illness, is closely associated with obesity and insulin resistance, both of which often worsen under stress. Studies indicate that men experiencing high levels of chronic stress face a 45% higher risk of developing diabetes compared to those with minimal stress. Stress triggers physiological responses that elevate blood...
38
01:37Epigenetic Regulation
3.0K
Epigenetic changes alter the physical structure of the DNA without changing the genetic sequence and often regulate whether genes are turned on or off. This regulation ensures that each cell produces only proteins necessary for its function. For example, proteins that promote bone growth are not produced in muscle cells. Epigenetic mechanisms play an essential role in healthy development. Conversely, precisely regulated epigenetic mechanisms are disrupted in diseases like cancer.
X-chromosome...
X-chromosome...
3.0K
01:19Regulation of Metabolism
9.5K
Cellular needs and conditions vary from cell to cell and change within individual cells over time. For example, the required enzymes and energetic demands of stomach cells are different from those of fat storage cells, skin cells, blood cells, and nerve cells. Furthermore, a digestive cell works much harder to process and break down nutrients during the time that closely follows a meal compared with many hours after a meal. As these cellular demands and conditions vary, so do the amounts and...
9.5K
02:30Genomic Imprinting and Inheritance
34.6K
Diploid organisms inherit genetic material through chromosomes from both parents. Copies of the same gene are known as alleles. In most cases, both alleles are simultaneously expressed and allow various cellular processes to function optimally. If one of the alleles is missing or mutated, the expression of the other allele can compensate; however, this is not true for all genes.
The expression of some genes depends on which parent passed the gene to the offspring, through a phenomenon known as...
The expression of some genes depends on which parent passed the gene to the offspring, through a phenomenon known as...
34.6K
03:03mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression
3.8K
The mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR protein was discovered in 1994 due to its direct interaction with rapamycin. The protein gets its name from a yeast homolog called TOR. The mTOR protein complex in mammalian cells plays a major role in balancing anabolic processes such as the synthesis of proteins, lipids, and nucleotides and catabolic processes, such as autophagy in response to environmental cues, such as availability of nutrients and growth factors.
The mTOR pathway or the...
The mTOR pathway or the...
3.8K
01:28Insulin: The Receptor and Signaling Pathways
1.2K
Insulin action is mediated through a receptor tyrosine kinase, akin to the IGF-1 receptor. The number of receptors per cell varies significantly, from 40 on erythrocytes to 300,000 on adipocytes and hepatocytes. The insulin receptor consists of linked α/β subunit dimers, forming a heterotetramer glycoprotein with two extracellular α subunits and two β subunits spanning the membrane. The α subunits inhibit the inherent tyrosine kinase activity of the β subunits, but...
1.2K