Recent Insights into the Role of DNA Methylation and Histone Modifications in Systemic Sclerosis: A Scoping Review

• Published in: Diagnostics (Basel) Vol. 14; no. 6; p. 652
• Main Authors: Kostova, Tsvetelina, Karalilova, Rositsa, Batalov, Zguro, Kazakova, Maria, Sarafian, Victoria, Batalov, Anastas
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 01.03.2024; MDPI
• Subjects: Autoimmune diseases; Disease; Disease susceptibility; DNA; DNA methylation; Enzymes; Epigenetic inheritance; Epigenetics; Fibroblasts; Gene expression; Genomes; histone modifications; Methylation; Pathogenesis; Review; Scleroderma; Scleroderma (Disease); Systemic scleroderma; systemic sclerosis; Bulgaria; DNA methylation; systemic sclerosis; histone modifications; epigenetics
• ISSN: 2075-4418; 2075-4418
• DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics14060652

Systemic sclerosis is a complex idiopathic disease originating from an intricate interplay between genetic susceptibility, environmental factors, and epigenetic modifications. This scoping review aims to map the advancements made regarding DNA methylation abnormalities and histone modifications in systemic sclerosis in the past decade. A literature search was conducted using three electronic databases (Scopus, Web of Science and PubMed) to identify relevant articles. A total of 44 studies were selected for this review, demonstrating the critical contribution of epigenetic perturbations in multiple cell types to disease pathogenesis. In conclusion, this scoping review has elucidated the significant discoveries made in the past decade regarding the role of DNA methylation and histone modifications in systemic sclerosis. Further progress in the field could lead to the development of novel treatment possibilities targeting epigenetic marks.