The Role of Epigenetics in Primary Biliary Cholangitis

Primary Biliary Cholangitis (PBC) is a rare autoimmune disease of the liver, affecting mostly females. There is evidence that epigenetic changes have a pathogenic role in PBC. Epigenetic modifications are related to methylation of CpG DNA islands, post-translational modifications of histone proteins, and non-coding RNAs. In PBC, there are data showing a dysregulation of all these levels, especially in immune cells. In addition, epigenetics seems to be involved in complex phenomena such as X monosomy or abnormalities in the process of X chromosome inactivation, which have been reported in PBC and appear to influence its sex imbalance and pathogenesis. We review here historical data on epigenetic modifications in PBC, present new data, and discuss possible links among X-chromosome abnormalities at a genetic and epigenetic level, PBC pathogenesis, and PBC sex imbalance.

Automated summary

This article discusses epigenetic modifications in Primary Biliary Cholangitis (PBC), including methylation, post-translational modifications of histone proteins, and non-coding RNA. The study found dysregulation of these modification levels, especially in immune cells, in PBC. The article also discusses the influence of X-chromosome abnormalities and abnormalities in X chromosome inactivation on the sex imbalance and pathogenesis of PBC.