Centre of Biological and Health Sciences, University of Northern Parana, Brazil.
Exp Biol Med (Maywood). 2013 Aug 1;238(8):859-65. doi: 10.1177/1535370213490630. Epub 2013 Jul 4.
A growing body of evidence has drawn the attention of the scientific community by indicating the potential vulnerability to environmental changes of epigenetic mechanisms that control gene expression. Being critical components of normal development, the importance of epigenetic mechanisms for normal biology is illustrated by the fact that abnormal epigenetic patterns have increasingly been linked to the aetiology of various diseases including cancer, paediatric syndromes, autoimmune diseases, genetic disorders and even the molecular process of ageing. It is estimated that the degree of vulnerability to changes in epigenetic patterns is high during early embryonic development, a period of life in which epigenetic patterns are established and cell differentiation is intense. Moreover, increasing amounts of relevant data and information reveal that the environment might potentially impact on epigenetic patterns at every period of life. Within this context, in this study we will review the principles of epigenetic vulnerability to environmental changes, the impacts on development, the association with the origin of common diseases and also speculate about the potential of lifestyle changes to modulate epigenetic patterns and contribute to preventing common diseases.
越来越多的证据表明，控制基因表达的表观遗传机制可能容易受到环境变化的影响，这引起了科学界的关注。作为正常发育的关键组成部分，表观遗传机制对于正常生物学的重要性体现在这样一个事实，即异常的表观遗传模式与各种疾病的病因学越来越相关，包括癌症、儿科综合征、自身免疫性疾病、遗传疾病甚至衰老的分子过程。据估计，在早期胚胎发育过程中，表观遗传模式发生变化的易感性程度很高，这是一个建立表观遗传模式和细胞分化强烈的生命阶段。此外，越来越多的相关数据和信息表明，环境可能会在生命的各个阶段对表观遗传模式产生潜在影响。在这种情况下，在本研究中，我们将回顾对环境变化的表观遗传易感性的原则、对发育的影响、与常见疾病起源的关联，同时还推测生活方式的改变是否有可能调节表观遗传模式并有助于预防常见疾病。
