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Microbiome-Epigenome Interactions and the Environmental Origins of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases
Tatiana Y Fofanova1, Joseph F Petrosino, Richard Kellermayer
1*Alkek Center for Metagenomics and Microbiome Research †Program in Translational Biology and Molecular Medicine ‡Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology §Section of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center, Houston, TX.
Insights
The incidence of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is rising due to environmental and nutritional factors. Research suggests the human microbiome and epigenome play key roles in IBD development in children and adults.
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology and Immunology
- Pediatric Health
- Environmental Medicine
Background:
- Rising incidence of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn disease and ulcerative colitis, observed globally.
- Epidemiologic studies indicate significant environmental and nutritional influences on IBD etiology.
- Growing evidence supports the developmental and environmental origins hypothesis for IBD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review existing literature on the developmental and environmental origins of IBD.
- To explore the role of the human microbiome in IBD development.
- To investigate the impact of epigenetics, specifically DNA methylation, on IBD origins.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of epidemiologic, environmental, and genetic studies on IBD.
- Analysis of research on the human microbiome and its connection to gut health.
- Examination of epigenetic mechanisms, focusing on DNA methylation in IBD.
Main Results:
- Environmental and nutritional factors are strongly implicated in the increasing rates of IBD.
- The human microbiome is a critical factor in the development of IBD.
- Epigenetic modifications, particularly DNA methylation, are emerging as key players in IBD pathogenesis.
Conclusions:
- IBD development is influenced by early-life environmental exposures and nutritional patterns.
- Alterations in the microbiome and epigenome are central to understanding IBD origins.
- Further research into these factors is crucial for preventing and treating pediatric IBD.
Abstract:
The incidence of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which includes Crohn disease and ulcerative colitis, has risen alarmingly in the Western and developing world in recent decades. Epidemiologic (including monozygotic twin and migrant) studies highlight the substantial role of environment and nutrition in IBD etiology. Here we review the literature supporting the developmental and environmental origins hypothesis of IBD. We also provide a detailed exploration of how the human microbiome and epigenome (primarily through DNA methylation) may be important elements in the developmental origins of IBD in both children and adults.
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