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Environmental epigenetics: a role in endocrine disease?
Abby F Fleisch1, Robert O Wright, Andrea A Baccarelli
1Department of Endocrinology, Children's Hospital Boston, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA. abby.fleisch@childrens.harvard.edu
Journal of Molecular Endocrinology
|July 17, 2012
Summary
Environmental epigenetics offers new insights into how exposures impact endocrine health. Emerging research shows environmental factors can alter gene expression, influencing conditions like obesity, insulin resistance, and endocrine cancers.
Area of Science:
- Endocrinology
- Environmental Epigenetics
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) can mimic hormones at the receptor level.
- Epigenetic alterations in gene expression present an alternative mechanism for environmental endocrine effects.
- Environmental epigenetics is a developing field with significant implications for endocrine health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the concepts of environmental epigenetics and its relevance to endocrinology.
- To explore how environmental exposures can influence endocrine-related gene expression and clinical outcomes.
- To highlight the potential for epigenetic mechanisms in understanding EDC action.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of environmental epigenetics and endocrinology.
- Analysis of three key examples: early-life nutrition, ionizing radiation, and known EDCs.
- Synthesis of data from animal models and preliminary human studies.
Main Results:
- Early-life nutrition can epigenetically influence future obesity and insulin resistance.
- Lifetime environmental exposures, like ionizing radiation, are linked to endocrine cancer risk.
- Compounds previously considered EDCs may also exert effects via epigenetic pathways.
Conclusions:
- Environmental exposures can significantly impact the expression of endocrine-related genes.
- Epigenetic mechanisms provide a novel framework for understanding endocrine disruption.
- Further research is crucial to validate findings and elucidate the full impact of environmental epigenetics on endocrine health.
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