Oct. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Sangamo BioSciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: SGMO - news) today reported that a review entitled ``DNA Methylation in Health and Disease'' has been published in Nature Reviews Genetics. Authored by Alan P. Wolffe, Ph.D., Sangamo's chief scientific officer, and Keith D. Robertson, Ph.D., a Sangamo collaborator at the National Cancer Institute, the article describes the critical role DNA methylation plays in maintaining certain cellular functions. When that process goes awry, genes can be inappropriately regulated resulting in impaired neuronal development. Several genetic neurological diseases such as Fragile X, ICF and Rett Syndromes are associated with this malfunction.
``At Sangamo we are focused on increasing our understanding of how specific genes are regulated. An important component of our research is integrating the impact of cell structure and function on gene regulation in order to better control these processes,'' said Dr. Wolffe. ``For example, DNA methylation, one step in the sequence of events, is known to play an important role in several diseases, including cancer and various neurological disorders. Understanding how the body regulates these important processes can lead to the discovery of novel approaches for addressing diseases for which no treatment currently exists.''
DNA methylation appears to play a role in how an organism's genome is divided into active and inactive compartments. It is this segmentation that allows the cell to more accurately stimulate, or repress, those genes that are essential for cell growth and function. The process by which DNA methlyation occurs is through the interplay of three critical enzymes called methyltransferases. Though it is unknown exactly how these enzymes interact, it is hypothesized that DNA methylation serves to define and maintain the structural integrity of the genome by decreasing the probability of gene rearrangements that could lead to gene mutations... |
