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Types of Toxins

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Humans continually engage with an environment rich in potentially harmful chemicals. These are introduced to our bodies through inhalation, ingestion, or skin contact. These chemicals exist in various forms, such as air and environmental pollutants, agricultural chemicals, organic solvents, and heavy metals.
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When toxic substances penetrate the human body, they disseminate to various tissues, undergoing metabolic changes. This process yields reactive metabolites that may covalently bind with specific target molecules, resulting in toxicity.
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Gene expression is a dynamic process that is significantly influenced by environmental factors. This interaction underlies the complex nature of biological development and the phenotypic differences observed among individuals, even among those with identical genetic makeups. Factors such as radiation, temperature, behavior, nutrition, and stress play pivotal roles in determining how genes are expressed. The concept of the reaction range is central to understanding this interaction. It posits...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 12, 2025

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Comprehensive Transcriptomic and Epigenomic Insights into Environmental Toxicant Exposures: The TaRGET II Resource.

Bo A Zhang1,2, Benpeng Miao3, Shuhua Fu1,2

  • 1Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA.

Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|August 6, 2025
PubMed
Summary

Early-life exposure to toxic chemicals causes lasting changes to the epigenome and transcriptome. The Toxicant Exposures and Responses by Genomic and Epigenomic Regulators of Transcription II (TaRGET II) study provides a resource to understand these molecular underpinnings of disease.

Keywords:
DNA methylationDevelopmental Origins of Disease (DOHaD)Histone modificationsToxicoepigeneticsarsenic (As)bisphenol a (BPA)chromatindioxin (TCDD)gene expressionlead (Pb)particulate matter (PM2.5)phthalates (DEHP)tributyltin (TBT)

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Area of Science:

  • Environmental epigenetics and toxicology
  • Genomics and transcriptomics
  • Disease pathogenesis

Background:

  • Environmental toxicants can disrupt gene regulation, impacting health across the lifespan.
  • Understanding the long-term molecular effects of early-life toxicant exposure is crucial for disease prevention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To characterize the persistent epigenomic and transcriptomic alterations induced by various environmental toxicants following early-life exposure.
  • To create a comprehensive, publicly accessible resource for studying the molecular basis of toxicant-induced diseases.

Main Methods:

  • The Toxicant Exposures and Responses by Genomic and Epigenomic Regulators of Transcription II (TaRGET II) Consortium generated epigenomic and transcriptomic data from longitudinal mouse studies.
  • Data were collected from multiple tissues (liver, brain, lung, heart, blood) at different life stages (weaning, adult).
  • Molecular responses to a panel of toxicants including arsenic, lead, BPA, DEHP, TBT, TCDD, and PM2.5 were analyzed.

Main Results:

  • Persistent, toxicant-specific, and sex-dependent changes were observed in epigenomic and transcriptomic profiles.
  • Significant alterations included disrupted gene expression (14,908 genes), modified chromatin accessibility (87,409 elements), DNA methylation changes (113,186 regions), and histone modification shifts.
  • A high-resolution map detailing how environmental exposures reprogram the epigenome and transcriptome was generated.

Conclusions:

  • Early-life environmental toxicant exposures induce lasting molecular changes that contribute to disease risk.
  • The TaRGET II resource provides a valuable tool for investigating the mechanisms of environmental toxicant-induced diseases.
  • Public accessibility of the data via the ToxiTaRGET database facilitates further research into environmental health.