Manipulation of Epigenome: Opportunities and Pitfalls in Fighting Autoimmune Diseases

Abstract

Many recent studies have focused on the manipulation of the epigenome to understand the mechanistic programming in health and some disease phenotypes. These studies are designed to provide suitable drug targets to cure and/or prevent the outcome of a disease condition. Autoimmune diseases (ADs), including obesity and diabetes, are of major health concern nowadays and are the root cause of several diseases of the heart, lungs, and liver. There are several epigenetic mechanisms underlying the manifestation of autoimmune disorders. The recent advances in today’s sequencing technology and genome editing have uncovered the role of epigenetic modifications in ADs. In this review, we will cover the recent discoveries and their possible application in the control of ADs by improving the long-term use of such technologies. The potential drawbacks will also be discussed so that future experiments may be designed to reduce or eliminate the risk factors associated with the use of recent discoveries in the field of medicine.

Keywords

• autoimmune diseases
• epigenome
• dna methylation