Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune disease with unknown etiology, characterized by vasculopathy, inflammation, and extensive fibrosis in the skin and organs. Fibrosis is the hallmark of SSc and contributes to its high mortality. In recent years, with the in-depth study of the epigenetics of SSc (DNA methylation, histone modification, and non-coding RNA), the DNA methylation and miRNA has been the most widely studied. Abnormal DNA methylation can influence the function of vascular endothelial cells, CD4+ T cells, and fibroblasts in SSc. MiRNAs in serum is closely related to autoantibodies, SSc disease activity and complications, and miRNAs in fibroblasts can directly affect the activation of fibroblasts.
系统性硬化症(systemic sclerosis，SSc)是一类病因不明的自身免疫性疾病，以血管病变、炎症和皮肤及各器官广泛纤维化为主要特征。纤维化是SSc的标志，也是导致其高病死率的主要原因。近年来，SSc的表观遗传学(DNA甲基化、组蛋白修饰和非编码RNA)得到了深入的研究，其中以DNA甲基化和微小RNA(microRNA，miRNA)的研究最为广泛。DNA甲基化异常可影响SSc的血管内皮细胞、CD4+T细胞和成纤维细胞的功能。血清中的miRNAs与自身抗体、SSc疾病活动度和并发症密切相关，成纤维细胞中的miRNAs可直接影响成纤维细胞的活化。.