The Emerging Role of Epigenetics

Epigenetics is one of the most rapidly expanding fields in biology over the past decades. Epigenetic mechanisms, including DNA methylation, histone modifications, and RNA-associated editing, lead to the heritable silencing/activation of genes without changes in DNA sequence. The critical role of epigenetic modifications has been demonstrated in normal and disease development in humans. With the advent of next-generation sequencing, the technological breakthrough makes it possible to unveil the genome-wide mapping of epigenetic changes. Here, we give a comprehensive overview of epigenetic mechanisms and focus on the recent progress of epigenetic modifications involved in the pathogenesis or progression of human diseases, in particular, cardiovascular diseases and cancers. In addition, some current epigenetic therapies including the inhibitors of DNA methyltransferases and histone deacetylases that have shown promising therapeutic effects will be also discussed.