From Lineage to Longevity: A Field Guide to the Key Players in Epigenetic Contribution to Offspring Health

Epidemiological evidence firmly supports the rationale that chronic diseases demonstrate a heritability component. Notwithstanding recent advances in genomic technologies, in a significant proportion of heritable diseases, a candidate gene of interest that explains the entire picture of heritability remains to be identified. Further epidemiological evidence points to environmental risk factors contributing to chronic disease prevalence and severity. The Developmental Origins of Health and Disease hypothesis points to epigenetics as the mechanism modulating gene-environment interactions to elicit disease. Yet the primary effector of epigenetic inheritance remains to be elucidated. This review focuses on key contributors to mammalian development and the epigenetic changes measured therein, to draw attention towards potential molecular candidates underpinning chronic disease heritability.