The Role of the Genetic Code in the DNA Methylation Landscape Formation

The genetic and epigenetic codes are highly interconnected, and the understanding of causalities within this cross talk guides our understanding of the biology of healthy life and diseases. Particularly, epigenetic regulation helps interpret genetic variants, and in return functional variance in the epigenetic landscape can be identified through its relation to the genetic background. Epigenetic mechanisms, particularly DNA methylation, shaped the genetic sequence during evolution, and the intrinsic properties of the DNA have impact on the formation of the DNA methylation landscape. Here it is the complex process of gene regulation that is actively controlled by differential DNA methylation patterns. In contrast, transcriptional regulation, such as transcription factors binding to genetic consensus sequences, leaves its marks in the DNA methylome. Elucidating consequences of genetic variance and particularly its impact on epigenetic regulation provides important insights into phenotype formation in natural variation and pathologic contexts, including disease risk.