ToxiTaRGET: a multi-omics resource for toxicant-responsive molecular targets.

Area of Science:

• Environmental health
• Toxicogenomics
• Genomics and epigenomics

Background:

• Environmental toxicants induce molecular alterations, increasing disease risk.
• Understanding long-term impacts of early-life exposures is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate long-term transcriptome and epigenome impacts of early-life toxicant exposures in mice.
• To create a comprehensive resource for studying these effects.

Main Methods:

• The Toxicant Exposures and Responses by Genomic and Epigenomic Regulators of Transcription II (TaRGET II) Consortium conducted longitudinal studies.
• Generated 3,607 multi-omics datasets from mice exposed to various toxicants.
• Systematically identified and visualized molecular changes using the ToxiTaRGET platform.

Main Results:

• Identified molecular signatures (gene expression, chromatin accessibility, DNA methylation) in response to toxicants.
• Data spans multiple tissues, sexes, and life stages in mice.
• The ToxiTaRGET platform provides an integrated view of these molecular changes.

Conclusions:

• Early-life toxicant exposures cause significant and lasting molecular changes.
• The ToxiTaRGET resource facilitates research in environmental health and toxicogenomics.
• Provides a foundation for understanding disease links to environmental exposures.