Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an archetypical systemic,autoimmune inflammatory disease,of which the mechanism still not unveiled. Studies on epigenetics in SLE have long been the subject of investigation and as part of epigenetics. DNA methylation has been confirmed to play a role in the pathogenesis of SLE. The high autoreactivity of CD4+T cell from SLE patients is associated with DNA hypomethylation. DNA hypomethylation is crucial to induce SLE-like autoimmune disease in SLE-non-susceptible mice. The reactivation of inactive X chromosome by hypomethylation may lead to high incidence of SLE in women. Drug-induced SLE is also connected with DNA hypomethylation. To understand the role of DNA methylation in the onset of SLE comprehensively,we review the findings reported in the literatures about DNA methylation and SLE.
