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The Macrophage Epigenome and the Control of Inflammatory Gene Expression

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Transcriptional and Epigenetic Mechanisms Regulating Normal and Aberrant Blood Cell Development

Part of the book series: Epigenetics and Human Health ((EHH))

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Abstract

The combination of large-scale genomic studies and computational tools has revealed the complexity and dynamics of the mechanisms that regulate the inflammatory response. The specificity of the inflammatory gene expression program in innate immune cells, such as macrophages, reflects a simple underlying mechanism: transcription factors controlling macrophage differentiation generate a unique, cell type-specific repertoire of accessible genomic regions that enable the recruitment of stimulus-induced transcription factors. This mechanism constrains the activity of non-cell type-specific inflammatory transcription factors at macrophage-specific regulatory elements. In this chapter, we provide an overview of transcriptional regulation in macrophages and we discuss the recent progresses on how the interplay between genomic and epigenomic information results in a fine-tuned inflammatory response.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Experimental Oncology, European Institute of Oncology (IEO), Via Adamello 16, 20139, Milan, Italy

    Sara Polletti, Alessia Curina, Gioacchino Natoli & Serena Ghisletti

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  1. Sara Polletti
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  2. Alessia Curina
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  3. Gioacchino Natoli
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  4. Serena Ghisletti
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Correspondence to Serena Ghisletti .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Biomedical Research, University of Birmingham Medical and Dental Sciences, Birmingham, United Kingdom

    Constanze Bonifer

  2. Institute of Biomedical Research, University of Birmingham Medical and Dental Sciences, Birmingham, United Kingdom

    Peter N. Cockerill

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Polletti, S., Curina, A., Natoli, G., Ghisletti, S. (2014). The Macrophage Epigenome and the Control of Inflammatory Gene Expression. In: Bonifer, C., Cockerill, P. (eds) Transcriptional and Epigenetic Mechanisms Regulating Normal and Aberrant Blood Cell Development. Epigenetics and Human Health. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-45198-0_15

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