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Epigenetic responses and the developmental origins of health and disease

Dipali Goyal1, Sean W Limesand1, Ravi Goyal1

  • 1School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA.

The Journal of Endocrinology
|May 16, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Prenatal environmental exposures can epigenetically program offspring development, influencing health and disease risk. Mismatches between predicted and actual postnatal environments can lead to adverse health outcomes.

Area of Science:

  • Reproductive Biology
  • Developmental Biology
  • Epigenetics

Background:

  • Maternal and paternal factors significantly impact offspring development and genome programming for postnatal life.
  • Prenatal environmental stressors trigger epigenetic changes in the fetus, a process termed 'developmental programming'.
  • This programming prepares the fetus for anticipated postnatal conditions, but discrepancies can arise.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the evidence supporting the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) hypothesis.
  • To highlight the role of epigenetic modifications in mediating developmental programming.
  • To explore how prenatal programming influences long-term health outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • Review of scientific literature on developmental programming and DOHaH.
  • Analysis of studies investigating epigenetic mechanisms like DNA methylation, histone modification, and noncoding RNAs.
  • Synthesis of evidence linking prenatal exposures to postnatal health.

Main Results:

  • Developmental programming alters the fetal epigenome without changing the genotype.
  • Epigenetic modifications, including DNA methylation and histone modifications, are key mechanisms.
  • Discrepancies between prenatal predictions and postnatal environments can lead to cardiovascular and metabolic disorders.

Conclusions:

  • Epigenetic regulation is a critical component of the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaH).
  • Developmental programming can be both beneficial and detrimental depending on environmental concordance.
  • Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for preventing disease later in life.

Keywords:
DNA methylationFGRIUGRlincRNAmaternal stress

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