Epigenetics in Kawasaki Disease

Purpose of this chapter: The purpose of this review is to discuss recent evidence of epigenetic alterations and their contribution related to the complicated pathogenesis of Kawasaki disease. There have been new observations of epigenetic alterations and their potential role in disease pathogenesis of Kawasaki disease. In recent years, there has been increasing evidence of epigenetic alterations and their potential role in disease pathogenesis of Kawasaki disease. Recent work has focused on clinical application of DNA methylation and miRNA biomarkers in progression of Kawasaki disease and how these epigenetic alterations play a key role in various aspects of the related gene expression. Changes in both DNA methylation and microRNA expression are fertile ground for investigation relating to clinical diagnosis and therapeutic targets in Kawasaki disease. However, current knowledge has relied on small cohorts that more large-scale studies are needed in the future for validation and to understand their target specificity and the efficacy in therapeutic applications of Kawasaki disease.