title: [Epigenetics, environment and asthma].
abstract: Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the respiratory tract with a complex genetic background influenced by the exposition to a series of environmental factors. Genetic studies can only elucidate part of the heritability and susceptibility of asthma and even though several diseases have an evident genetic etiology, only a fraction of the genes involved in their pathogenicity have been identified. The epigenetic regulation of the latter is a fact one should bear in mind in order to explain the major triggers of diseases whose understanding is complicated, such as allergies and asthma. External stimulus such as nourishment, stress, physical activity, atmospheric pollution, tobacco smoking and alcohol drinking can induce either gene silencing or gene expression. In this regard, epigenetics can explain how these environmental factors influence our genetic inheritance. There is growing evidence that backs-up the fact that DNA methylation, histone post-translational modification and microRNA expression are influenced by the environment. This helps explaining how several of the risk factors mentioned contribute to the development and inheritance of asthma. In this review, different environmental factors and their relation with the main epigenetic regulatory mechanisms will be analyzed, as well as their possible role in the development of asthma.
authors.affiliation: División de Investigación, Facultad de Medicina, UNAM, Av. Universidad 3000, circuito escolar s/n, 04510 México, DF. gricor12@yahoo.com.mx.
authors.forename: Guadalupe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rico-Rosillo
authors.forename: Gloria Bertha
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Vega-Robledo
authors.forename: Raúl
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Silva-García
authors.forename: Diego
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Oliva-Rico
mesh_terms: D001249:Asthma / Q000209:etiology* / Q000235:genetics; D019175:DNA Methylation; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D059647:Gene-Environment Interaction; D006801:Humans; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000009:adverse effects; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects
chemical_list: D052638:Particulate Matter; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution
keywords: Acetylation; Asthma; Environmental; Epigenetics; Methylation