DNA methylation as the most important content of epigenetics in traditional Chinese herbal medicine

Abstract

Traditional Chinese medicine is commonly used in China and so many other Asian and western Countries. Epigenetics relates to heritable alternations in chromatin architecture that do not involve changes in the underlying DNA sequence but profoundly affect gene expression and impact cellular function. Epigenetic regulation is attained by specific mechanisms involving DNA methylation, histone posttranslational modifications and the action of noncoding RNAs. Epigenetic variations also involved in the control of plant developmental processes and contribute in shaping phenotypic plasticity to the environment. Epigenetics has considerable impact on evolution and epigenetic epidemiology which has shown the intricate function between the environment and epigenetics. DNA methylation is an epigenetic mechanism that regulates gene expression and may affect plant growth, development and acclimation. DNA methylation is associated with gene expression and morphological variation. Plants, utilization of the epigenetic approach are used to manage and resist the fungal, bacterial and others biotic stresses; microbes, also employ epigenetic mechanisms to modify growth and pathogenicity, leading to resistance against plant-host immune system. DNA methylation is a chemical modification process where the methyltransderass (DNMTs) are catalyzed by selective addition of methyl groups to form 5-methylcytosine in CpG sequences. A mixture of herbs and fruits used in traditional Chinese medicine maybe use to decline diseases by adding and removing epigenetic marks on DNA. Epigenetics has been introduced to the area of TCM recently, which resulting in the hypothesis of an epigenetic role in the modern pharmacology of TCM prescriptions. Epigenetics is the partial material basis of TCM syndrome diversity, and the microscopic index of epigenetics can be an important supplement to the macroscopic syndrome differentiation of TCM syndromes. The role of epigenetic information is in developmental gene regulation, natural variation of gene expression levels, and response to the environment. The significant attention has started about the potential for epigenetic information to contribute to heritable variation in many species, even traditional Chinese herbs.