Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Neurobiol Dis. 2010 Jul;39(1):66-72. doi: 10.1016/j.nbd.2009.12.026. Epub 2010 Jan 4.
An organism's behavioral and physiological and social milieu influence and are influenced by the epigenome, which is composed predominantly of chromatin and the covalent modification of DNA by methylation. Epigenetic patterns are sculpted during development to shape the diversity of gene expression programs in the organism. In contrast to the genetic sequence, which is determined by inheritance and is virtually identical in all tissues, the epigenetic pattern varies from cell type to cell type and is potentially dynamic throughout life. It is postulated here that different environmental exposures, including early parental care, could impact epigenetic patterns, with important implications for mental health in humans. Because epigenetic programming defines the state of expression of genes, epigenetic differences could have the same consequences as genetic polymorphisms. Yet in contrast to genetic sequence differences, epigenetic alterations are potentially reversible. This review will discuss basic epigenetic mechanisms and how epigenetic processes early in life might play a role in defining inter-individual trajectories of human behavior. In this regard, we will examine evidence for the possibility that epigenetic mechanisms can contribute to later-onset neurological dysfunction and disease.
生物体的行为、生理和社会环境影响并受表观基因组的影响，表观基因组主要由染色质和 DNA 的甲基化共价修饰组成。表观遗传模式在发育过程中形成，以塑造生物体中基因表达程序的多样性。与遗传序列不同，遗传序列由遗传决定，在所有组织中几乎完全相同，表观遗传模式因细胞类型而异，并且在整个生命过程中具有潜在的动态性。这里假设，不同的环境暴露，包括早期父母照顾，可能会影响表观遗传模式，对人类的心理健康有重要影响。因为表观遗传编程定义了基因表达的状态，所以表观遗传差异可能具有与遗传多态性相同的后果。然而，与遗传序列差异不同，表观遗传改变具有潜在的可逆性。这篇综述将讨论基本的表观遗传机制，以及生命早期的表观遗传过程如何在定义人类行为的个体轨迹方面发挥作用。在这方面，我们将研究表观遗传机制是否可能导致神经功能障碍和疾病的可能性的证据。
