# The role of ribosomal DNA methylation in embryonic development, aging and diseases

**Authors:** Fei Yang, Xutong Guo, Yiming Bao, Rujiao Li

PMC · DOI: 10.1186/s13072-024-00548-4 · Epigenetics & Chromatin · 2024-07-31

## TL;DR

This review explores how ribosomal DNA methylation influences embryonic development, aging, and diseases across multiple species.

## Contribution

The paper provides a comprehensive overview of rDNA methylation's role in biological processes and highlights current research gaps.

## Key findings

- rDNA methylation is linked to epigenetic changes during embryonic development.
- Methylation of rDNA is associated with aging and various diseases.
- The review identifies gaps in understanding rDNA methylation's functional roles.

## Abstract

The ribosomal DNA (rDNA) constitutes a remarkably conserved DNA sequence within species, located in the area of the nucleolus, and responsible for coding three major types of rRNAs (18S, 5.8S and 28S). While historical investigations into rDNA focused on its structure and coding capabilities, recent research has turned to explore its functional roles in various biological processes. In this review, we summarize the main findings of rDNA methylation with embryonic development, aging and diseases in multiple species, including epigenetic alterations, related biological processes and potential applications of rDNA methylation. We present an overview of current related research and identify gaps in this field.

## Full-text entities

- **Genes:** MAPK1 (mitogen-activated protein kinase 1) [NCBI Gene 5594] {aka ERK, ERK-2, ERK2, ERT1, MAPK2, NS13}, MTOR (mechanistic target of rapamycin kinase) [NCBI Gene 2475] {aka FRAP, FRAP1, FRAP2, RAFT1, RAPT1, SKS}, MYC (MYC proto-oncogene, bHLH transcription factor) [NCBI Gene 4609] {aka MRTL, MYCC, bHLHe39, c-Myc}, Poli (DNA polymerase iota) [NCBI Gene 291526], DNMT1 (DNA methyltransferase 1) [NCBI Gene 1786] {aka ADCADN, AIM, CXXC9, DNMT, HSN1E, MCMT}, TP53 (tumor protein p53) [NCBI Gene 7157] {aka BCC7, BMFS5, LFS1, P53, TRP53}, ESR1 (estrogen receptor 1) [NCBI Gene 2099] {aka ER, ESR, ESRA, ESTRR, Era, NR3A1}, CD34 (CD34 molecule) [NCBI Gene 947], TTF1 (transcription termination factor 1) [NCBI Gene 7270] {aka TTF-1, TTF-I}
- **Diseases:** CPE (MESH:D020512), developmental diseases (MESH:D001848), degeneration of the cardiovascular system (MESH:D018376), WGBS (MESH:C531766), neurological disease (MESH:D020271), progeria short stature disease (MESH:D011371), protein restriction (MESH:D002313), DS (MESH:D004314), short stature (MESH:D006130), cognitive impairment (MESH:D003072), SCZ (MESH:D012559), lung cancer (MESH:D008175), ASD (MESH:D000067877), Prostate cancer (MESH:D011471), ovarian cancer (MESH:D010051), craniofacial anomalies (MESH:D019465), cervical cancer (MESH:D002583), genetic disorders (MESH:D030342), chromosomal aneuploidy (MESH:D000782), colorectal cancer (MESH:D015179), endometrial cancer (MESH:D016889), hematologic diseases (MESH:D006402), esophageal cancer (MESH:D004938), hepatocellular carcinoma (MESH:D006528), cancer (MESH:D009369), WS (MESH:D014898), ovarian and endometrial cancers (MESH:D004714), diabetes (MESH:D003920), Breast cancer (MESH:D001943), CIN (MESH:D002578), aging of the skin (MESH:D012871), MDS (MESH:D009190), neurodegenerative diseases (MESH:D019636), infantile hypotonia (MESH:D009123), Oral squamous cell carcinoma (MESH:D000077195), AD (MESH:D000544), MCI (MESH:D060825)
- **Chemicals:** cytosine (MESH:D003596), 5'-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (MESH:D000077209)
- **Species:** Bos taurus (bovine, species) [taxon 9913], Canis lupus familiaris (dog, subspecies) [taxon 9615], Danio rerio (leopard danio, species) [taxon 7955], Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606], Rattus norvegicus (brown rat, species) [taxon 10116], Mus musculus (house mouse, species) [taxon 10090]

## Full text

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## Figures

1 figure with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC11290161/full.md

## References

11 references — full list in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC11290161/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC11290161