Abstract:

DNA methylation, as one kind of modification way of DNA sequences, is an important epigenetic mechanism. It can regulate the expression of many vital genes while the base compositions of these genes do not change, therefore DNA methylation is very important to the growth and development of organism. In this paper, we summarized the rules of DNA methylation into four aspects, as follows: maintaining the stability of genetic information in genomes; regulating the expression of genes; establishing epigenetic patterns and participating in the development of embryos.

Key words: DNA methylation, DNA methyltransferases, epigenetics, imprinting genes, Xchromosome inactivation

摘要：

DNA甲基化作为DNA序列的修饰方式,是一种重要的表观遗传机制,能够在不改变DNA分子一级结构的情况下调节基因组的功能,在生命活动中起着重要的作用。其功能主要可归结为以下4个方面：维持基因组遗传物质的稳定性,调控基因的表达,建立表观遗传模式以及参与细胞及胚胎的形态建成。

关键词: DNA甲基化;DNA甲基转移酶;表观遗传;印迹基因;X-染色体失活