Centre for Biological Sciences, Institute of Developmental Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
Best Pract Res Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2012 Oct;26(5):667-76. doi: 10.1016/j.beem.2012.03.009. Epub 2012 Apr 28.
Traditionally it has been widely accepted that our genes together with adult lifestyle factors determine our risk of developing non-communicable diseases such as type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease and obesity in later life. However, there is now substantial evidence that the pre and early postnatal environment plays a key role in determining our susceptible to such diseases in later life. Moreover the mechanism by which the environment can alter long term disease risk may involve epigenetic processes. Epigenetic processes play a central role in regulating tissue specific gene expression and hence alterations in these processes can induce long-term changes in gene expression and metabolism which persist throughout the lifecourse. This review will focus on how nutritional cues in early life can alter the epigenome, producing different phenotypes and altered disease susceptibilities.
传统观点认为，我们的基因与成年生活方式因素共同决定了我们在以后的生活中患上非传染性疾病（如 2 型糖尿病、心血管疾病和肥胖症）的风险。然而，现在有大量证据表明，产前和产后早期的环境在决定我们以后易患此类疾病方面起着关键作用。此外，环境改变长期疾病风险的机制可能涉及表观遗传过程。表观遗传过程在调节组织特异性基因表达方面起着核心作用，因此这些过程的改变会导致基因表达和代谢的长期变化，这种变化会持续整个生命周期。这篇综述将重点讨论生命早期的营养线索如何改变表观基因组，从而产生不同的表型和改变疾病易感性。
