Csaba György
Department of Genetics, Cell and Immunobiology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
Curr Genomics. 2019 Sep;20(6):409-418. doi: 10.2174/1389202920666191116113524.
Hormonal imprinting takes place perinatally at the first encounter between the developing hormone receptor and its target hormone. This process is needed for the normal function of the receptor-hormone pair and its effect is life-long. However, in this critical period, when the developmental window is open, related molecules (members of the same hormone family, synthetic hormones and hormone-like molecules, endocrine disruptors) also can be bound by the receptor, causing life-long faulty imprinting. In this case, the receptors' binding capacity changes and alterations are caused at adult age in the sexual and behavioral sphere, in the brain and bones, inclination to diseases and manifestation of diseases, . Hereby, faulty hormonal imprinting is the basis of metabolic and immunological imprinting as well as the developmental origin of health and disease (DOHaD). Although the perinatal period is the most critical for faulty imprinting, there are other critical periods as weaning and adolescence, when the original imprinting can be modified or new imprintings develop. Hormonal imprinting is an epigenetic process, without changing the base sequence of DNA, it is inherited in the cell line of the imprinted cells and also transgenerationally (up to 1000 generations in unicellulars and up to the 3 generation in mammals are justified). Considering the enormously growing number and amount of faulty imprinters (endocrine disruptors) and the hereditary character of faulty imprinting, this latter is threatening the whole human endocrine system.
激素印记发生在围产期，即发育中的激素受体与其靶激素首次相遇之时。这一过程是受体 - 激素对正常功能所必需的，且其影响是终身的。然而，在这个关键时期，即发育窗口开启时，相关分子（同一激素家族的成员、合成激素和类激素分子、内分泌干扰物）也可能被受体结合，导致终身错误印记。在这种情况下，受体会发生结合能力变化，进而在成年期引发性和行为领域、大脑和骨骼方面的改变，以及患病倾向和疾病表现。因此，错误的激素印记是代谢和免疫印记的基础，也是健康与疾病发育起源（DOHaD）的基础。虽然围产期是错误印记最关键的时期，但断奶期和青春期等其他时期也很关键，在这些时期，原来的印记可能会被改变，或者会形成新的印记。激素印记是一个表观遗传过程，它不改变DNA的碱基序列，在印记细胞的细胞系中遗传，并且也可以跨代遗传（单细胞生物中可达1000代，哺乳动物中可达3代）。鉴于错误印记物（内分泌干扰物）的数量和种类急剧增加，以及错误印记的遗传性，后者正威胁着整个人类内分泌系统。
