DNA methylation profile of liver tissue in end-stage cholestatic liver disease.

While DNA is the permanent code that defines each living being, the epigenome comprises sequences attached to DNA that can change with the environment. This means that abnormal changes to the epigenome may lead to disease and that finding and treating these abnormalities may in turn help treat disease. In this study of liver tissue from individuals with two rare liver diseases, primary sclerosing cholangitis and primary biliary cholangitis, the authors found that the epigenome of these two conditions is distinct, suggesting that the epigenome is linked to the development of these conditions and may be the key to treating them.