Only a few percent of the 3 billion pairs of chemical letters in the human genome is responsible for protein-coding sequences. Recent advances in the field of epigenomics have helped us to understand how most of the remaining sequences are responsible for gene regulation at baseline and in disease conditions. Here we discuss recent advances in the area of epigenetics--specifically in cytosine modifications--and its application in the field of nephrology.
Keywords: chronic kidney disease; cytosine methylation; enhancers; epigenetics.
© The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of ERA-EDTA. All rights reserved.