title: Environmental-stress-induced Chromatin Regulation and its Heritability.
abstract: Chromatin is subject to proofreading and repair mechanisms during the process of DNA replication, as well as repair to maintain genetic and epigenetic information and genome stability. The dynamic structure of chromatin modulates various nuclear processes, including transcription and replication, by altering the accessibility of the DNA to regulatory factors. Structural changes in chromatin are affected by the chemical modification of histone proteins and DNA, remodeling of nucleosomes, incorporation of variant histones, noncoding RNAs, and nonhistone DNA-binding proteins. Phenotypic diversity and fidelity can be balanced by controlling stochastic switching of chromatin structure and dynamics in response to the environmental disruptors and endogenous stresses. The dynamic chromatin remodeling can, therefore, serve as a sensor, through which environmental and/or metabolic agents can alter gene expression, leading to global cellular changes involving multiple interactive networks. Furthermore its recent evidence also suggests that the epigenetic changes are heritable during the development. This review will discuss the environmental sensing system for chromatin regulation and genetic and epigenetic controls from developmental perspectives.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Medicine, NYU School of Medicine, 57 Old Forge Road, Tuxedo, NY 10987, USA.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.affiliation: Center of Environmental Medicine, Graduate Institute of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, 100 Shih-Chuan 1st Rd, San Ming District, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan ; Division of Environmental Health and Occupational Medicine, National Health Research Institutes, 35 Keyan Rd, Zhunan, Miaoli County 350, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Kenly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wuptra
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Medicine, NYU School of Medicine, 57 Old Forge Road, Tuxedo, NY 10987, USA.
authors.forename: Danqi
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Medicine, NYU School of Medicine, 57 Old Forge Road, Tuxedo, NY 10987, USA.
authors.forename: Hongjie
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Division of Environmental Health and Occupational Medicine, National Health Research Institutes, 35 Keyan Rd, Zhunan, Miaoli County 350, Taiwan ; Johns Hopkins Asthma and Allergy Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA.
authors.forename: Shau-Ku
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Medicine, NYU School of Medicine, 57 Old Forge Road, Tuxedo, NY 10987, USA.
authors.forename: Chunyuan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.affiliation: Center of Environmental Medicine, Graduate Institute of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, 100 Shih-Chuan 1st Rd, San Ming District, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Kazunari K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Yokoyama
keywords: Chromatin assembly; Chromatin regulation; Endocrine-disrupting chemicals; Environmental stress; Epigenesis; Epigenetic inheritance