Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-
) is an inflammatory cytokine that is involved in several immune responses and metabolism. TNF expression regulation is complex, and still very little is known about its epigenetic control. In this paper, Sullivan et al. evaluated the CpG methylation and histone modifications in various cell lines and primary tissues. Their study suggests that cells acquire certain epigenetic marks in the course of development, mostly at the level of transcription.
epigenetics
) is an inflammatory cytokine that is involved in several immune responses and metabolism. TNF expression regulation is complex, and still very little is known about its epigenetic control. In this paper, Sullivan et al. evaluated the CpG methylation and histone modifications in various cell lines and primary tissues. Their study suggests that cells acquire certain epigenetic marks in the course of development, mostly at the level of transcription.Our data appear to show an orderly series of events that accompany myeloid differentiation and that these events progressively lead to competence for the production of TNF-alphaSullivan KE. et al. 2007. Mol Cell Biol 27(14):5147-60
[...] The first event is DNA demethylation of the TNF-alpha locus, which seems to arise from the coding region and extend 5' into the promoter. The DNA demethylation begins to occur between the EB stage and differentiation into hematopoietic stem cells. Further demethylation continues as the cells differentiate into monocytes. A cell such as the hepatocyte, which is capable of producing TNF-alpha only after a priming stimulus, is only partially demethylated. A second step in the acquisition of transcriptional competence is the relocation of the TNF-alpha locus into euchromatin.
epigenetics 
