University/British Heart Foundation Centre for Cardiovascular Science, University of Edinburgh, The Queen's Medical Research Institute, Edinburgh, UK.
Department of Paediatric Endocrinology, Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh, UK.
Arch Dis Child. 2019 Mar;104(3):297-301. doi: 10.1136/archdischild-2018-316054. Epub 2019 Jan 17.
Epigenetic regulation of gene expression is critical for normal development. Dysregulation of the epigenome can lead to the development and progression of a number of diseases relevant to paediatricians, including disorders of genomic imprinting and malignancies. It has long been recognised that early life events have implications for future disease risk, and epigenetic modifications may play a role in this, although further high-quality research is needed to better understand the underlying mechanisms. Research in the field of epigenetics will contribute to a greater understanding of growth, development and disease; however, paediatricians need to be able to interpret such research critically, in order to use the potential advances brought about through epigenetic studies while appreciating their limitations.
基因表达的表观遗传调控对于正常发育至关重要。表观基因组的失调可能导致与儿科医生相关的许多疾病的发展和进展，包括基因组印迹障碍和恶性肿瘤。长期以来，人们一直认识到，生命早期的事件对未来的疾病风险有影响，而表观遗传修饰可能在其中发挥作用，尽管需要进一步进行高质量的研究来更好地理解潜在的机制。表观遗传学领域的研究将有助于更好地理解生长、发育和疾病；然而，儿科医生需要能够批判性地解释这些研究，以便利用通过表观遗传学研究带来的潜在进展，同时认识到其局限性。
