Role of Epigenetic Histone Modifications in Diabetic Kidney Disease Involving Renal Fibrosis

Figure 1

Histone modifications stimulate the gene expressions in diabetic conditions. In normal conditions, histone deacetylases (HDACs) and histone methyltransferases (HMTs)/histone demethylases (HDMs) recruit at the gene promoters, leading to the removal of acetylation and the accumulation of repressive chromatin markers (such as H3K9me2/3, H3K27me3, and H4K20me3) at the gene promoters and inhibiting the initiation of genetic transcriptions. While in diabetic conditions, the repressive histone modifications are cleared away and are replaced by the enrichment of active chromatin marks (histone acetylations and H3K36me2/3, H3K4me1/2/3, and H3K79me2), resulting in the upregulation of the expression of inflammatory and fibrotic genes and ultimately promoting the progress of diabetic renal complications. HDACs, histone deacetylases; HATs, histone acetyltransferase; HMTs, histone methyltransferase; HDMs, histone demethylases.