Abstract:Lupus develops when genetically predisposed people encounter environmental agents that initiate flares. Current evidence indicates that the environmental contribution is mediated by T-cell DNA demethylation. DNA methylation patterns are established during differentiation, and silence inappropriate or unnecessary genes by promoting a condensed chromatin configuration that is inaccessible to transcription factors. The methylation patterns are then replicated each time a cell divides by DNA methyltransferase 1 (D… Show more
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