The Impact of External Factors on the Epigenome: In Utero and over Lifetime.
Epigenetic marks change during fetal development, adult life, and aging. Some changes play an important role in the establishment and regulation of gene programs, but others seem to occur without any apparent physiological role. An important future challenge in the field of epigenetics will be to describe how the environment affects both of these types of epigenetic change and to learn if interaction between them can determine healthy and disease phenotypes during lifetime. Here we discuss how chemical and physical environmental stressors, diet, life habits, and pharmacological treatments can affect the epigenome during lifetime and the possible impact of these epigenetic changes on pathophysiological processes.
Cancer Epigenetics Laboratory, Instituto Universitario de Oncología del Principado de Asturias (IUOPA), HUCA, Universidad de Oviedo, 33006 Oviedo, Spain.
Estela G
EG
Toraño
Cancer Epigenetics Laboratory, Instituto Universitario de Oncología del Principado de Asturias (IUOPA), HUCA, Universidad de Oviedo, 33006 Oviedo, Spain.
María G
MG
García
Cancer Epigenetics Laboratory, Instituto Universitario de Oncología del Principado de Asturias (IUOPA), HUCA, Universidad de Oviedo, 33006 Oviedo, Spain.
Juan Luis
JL
Fernández-Morera
Servicio de Salud Laboral, Instituto Asturiano de Prevención de Riesgos Laborales, 33006 Oviedo, Spain.
Pilar
P
Niño-García
Cancer Epigenetics Laboratory, Instituto Universitario de Oncología del Principado de Asturias (IUOPA), HUCA, Universidad de Oviedo, 33006 Oviedo, Spain.
Agustín F
AF
Fernández
D000818:Animals; D002843:Chromatin; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D057890:Epigenomics; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D016678:Genome; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D010641:Phenotype; D051381:Rats
D002843:Chromatin