Diagnostic biomarkers are hidden in the infected host’s epigenome

Abstract

The success of our immune system depends on its ability to react efficiently, which in turn is supported by a large degree of plasticity as well as memory. Some aspects of this plasticity and memory are now known to be under epigenetic control – determined both by default, during differentiation, and by responses to environmental factors, including infectious agents. Thus, epigenetic marks in the immune system can occur as predetermined or as responsive marks and as such can potentially serve as diagnostic markers for disease susceptibility and disease progression or treatment response. Here, the authors review some examples of epigenetic control and epigenetic marks during the differentiation process of the immune system and memory formation, followed by some examples of epigenetic marks in the immune system subsequent to infection. These are used to illustrate the potential use of epigenetic marks as diagnostic markers in adverse immune system conditions and treatment thereof.

Keywords::

• DNA methylation
• epigenome
• histone modifications
• immunity
• infection
• inflammation
• plasticity
• reprogramming

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Erratum

Acknowledgments

The authors sincerely thank ML Grossman for help in preparing this manuscript, D Schad for preparing the graphic illustrations, and H Linhart and A Herzig for useful and valuable discussions on the topic.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors acknowledge generous support for work in the lab of SHE Kaufmann by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Grand Challenges in Global Health (GC6-74 and GC6-2013), the jointly funded project of the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) and the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) entitled ‘African European Tuberculosis Consortium’ (AE-TBC), and the BMBF project 01DG12062. M Esterhuyse acknowledges generous support for laboratory guest visits at Stellenbosch University (SUN), by the National Research Foundation (NRF), South Africa. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.