title: Toxicoepigenomics and cancer: implications for screening.
abstract: Scientists have long considered genetics to be the key mechanism that alters gene expression because of exposure to the environment and toxic substances (toxicants). Recently, epigenetic mechanisms have emerged as an alternative explanation for alterations in gene expression resulting from such exposure. The fact that certain toxic substances that contribute to tumor development do not induce mutations probably results from underlying epigenetic mechanisms. The field of toxicoepigenomics emerged from the combination of epigenetics and classical toxicology. High-throughput technologies now enable evaluation of altered epigenomic profiling in response to toxins and environmental pollutants. Furthermore, differences in the epigenomic backgrounds of individuals may explain why, although whole populations are exposed to toxicants, only a few people in a population develop cancer. Metals in the environment and toxic substances not only alter DNA methylation patterns and histone modifications but also affect enzymes involved in posttranslational modifications of proteins and epigenetic regulation, and thereby contribute to carcinogenesis. This article describes different toxic substances and environmental pollutants that alter epigenetic profiling and discusses how this information can be used in screening populations at high risk of developing cancer. Research opportunities and challengers in the field also are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Methods and Technologies Branch, Epidemiology and Genomics Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health (NIH), 9609 Medical Center Drive, Room 4E102, Rockville, MD, 20850, USA, vermam@mail.nih.gov.
authors.forename: Mukesh
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Verma
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics*; D043922:Toxicogenetics / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants