Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Giorgia Bolognesi, Maria Giulia Bacalini, Chiara Pirazzini, Paolo Garagnani, Cristina Giuliani
Summary: This review examines the impact of different environmental toxicants on human evolution. Research has shown that exposure to toxins leads to adaptive genetic changes, with epigenetic remodeling and DNA methylation variation being proposed as molecular mechanisms for medium-term adaptation. The high impact of such exposure on human biology, including genetic and epigenetic diversity, mutation rate, biological fitness, and brain evolution and physiology, is discussed based on scientific literature from clinical and medical studies.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Rose Schrott, Ashley Song, Christine Ladd-Acosta
Summary: This article reviews the impact of prenatal and early-life environments on health outcomes and highlights the potential of epigenomic patterns, specifically DNA methylation, as objective biomarkers. The literature to date on epigenetic changes associated with specific exposure domains and mixtures is summarized, along with evidence for other types of epigenetic patterns as exposure biomarkers. Future research aims to expand these findings to other environmental exposures and develop predictive algorithms for early-life risk factors.
CURRENT ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH REPORTS
(2022)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Maja Srut
Summary: The effect of environmental pollutants on epigenetic changes, including DNA methylation, histone modifications, and non-coding RNAs, is a major concern in ecotoxicology. Earthworms have been widely used as models to study the impact of environmental stress on epigenetic mechanisms and to explore the possibility of epigenetic inheritance. However, there are still many knowledge gaps that need to be filled in.
Review
Oncology
Janah Vandenhoeck, Jan P. van Meerbeeck, Erik Fransen, Jo Raskin, Guy Van Camp, Ken Op de Beeck, Kevin Lamote
Summary: This study provides a systematic review of the research investigating DNA methylation in mesothelioma, identifying APC, miR-34b/c, and WIF1 as the most suitable candidate biomarkers. Further research on genome-wide DNA methylation profiling is needed for potential clinical applications.
JOURNAL OF THORACIC ONCOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Arce Domingo-Relloso, Anne Bozack, Samara Kiihl, Zulema Rodriguez-Hernandez, Pilar Rentero-Garrido, J. Antonio Casasnovas, Montserrat Leon-Latre, Tamara Garcia-Barrera, J. Luis Gomez-Ariza, Belen Moreno, Ana Cenarro, Griselda de Marco, Faruque Parvez, Abu B. Siddique, Hasan Shahriar, Mohammad N. Uddin, Tariqul Islam, Ana Navas-Acien, Mary Gamble, Maria Tellez-Plaza
Summary: The study identified common 5-hmC and 5-mC signatures in two populations exposed to varying levels of inorganic As, but differences in As-related epigenetic sites across the study populations may also reflect low and high As-specific associations. This work contributes to a deeper understanding of potential epigenetic dysregulations of As, with further research needed to confirm biological consequences associated with DIP2C epigenetic regulation and investigate the role of 5-hmC and 5-mC separately in As-induced health disorders at different exposure levels.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Man Li, Litao Bao, Ping Zhu, Shuxia Wang
Summary: This study investigated the impact of metformin on the epigenetic age in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). The results showed an association between metformin intake and slower epigenetic aging.
FRONTIERS IN GENETICS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Nichole Nidey, Katherine Bowers, Lili Ding, Hong Ji, Robert T. Ammerman, Kimberly Yolton, E. Melinda Mahabee-Gittens, Alonzo T. Folger
Summary: This study investigated the effects of in-utero exposure to maternal smoking on DNA methylation of AVPR1a gene in infants. The findings suggest that infants with in-utero exposure to maternal smoking have reduced DNA methylation at AVPR1a CpG sites.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Gabriela Filipowicz, Anna Wajda, Barbara Stypinska, Tomasz Kmiolek, Anna Felis-Giemza, Sandra Stanczyk, Zenobia Czuszynska, Marcela Walczyk, Marzena Olesinska, Agnieszka Paradowska-Gorycka
Summary: Mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) is a rare disorder with unclear pathogenesis. This study analyzed whole blood samples from MCTD, SSc, SLE patients, and healthy donors, and found that hypomethylation distinguishes MCTD patients from SSc and SLE patients. However, global DNA methylation may not be a good diagnostic marker to distinguish MCTD from other ACTDs patients.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Aino Heikkinen, Sailalitha Bollepalli, Miina Ollikainen
Summary: DNA methylation, as an epigenetic modification, has been consistently associated with various human traits and diseases. It has the potential to serve as a disease biomarker by reflecting environmental exposures and predicting disease onset. DNA methylation patterns are more stable and easier to measure compared to transcriptomic or proteomic patterns, making them ideal for tracking different environments and risk factors. DNA methylation-based predictors have shown promise in being more accurate than self-reported or measured phenotypes, and may have applications in clinics.
JOURNAL OF INTERNAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Review
Oncology
Javier C. Angulo, Claudia Manini, Jose I. Lopez, Angel Pueyo, Begona Colas, Santiago Ropero
Summary: This review examines the accumulated evidence on the role of epigenetic markers in prognosis and treatments for clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). Several epigenetic markers show promise for clinical use but require further validation. The development of epigenetic therapies, either alone or in combination with other treatments, is still in early stages and holds potential for improving the diagnosis and treatment of ccRCC.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Irina V. Bure, Marina V. Nemtsova
Summary: Despite recent progress, gastric cancer remains a common and deadly cancer with aberrant DNA methylation and deregulation of noncoding RNA expression playing a significant role in tumorigenesis. Interactions among these epigenetic regulators form a complex network that has potential implications for diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of gastric cancer.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Toxicology
Wesley N. Saintilnord, Sara Y. N. Tenlep, Joshua D. Preston, Eleonora Duregon, Jason E. DeRouchey, Jason M. Unrine, Rafael de Cabo, Kevin J. Pearson, Yvonne N. Fondufe-Mittendorf
Summary: Chronic cadmium exposure was found to induce differential DNA methylation changes in mouse sperm, with most changes correlating positively with alterations in gene expression. The targeted genes by cadmium exposure are involved in critical developmental processes. This study provides a foundational framework for investigating potential effects on fertility and offspring through paternal inheritance.
TOXICOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Anne K. Bozack, Philippe Boileau, Linqing Wei, Alan E. Hubbard, Fenna C. M. Sille, Catterina Ferreccio, Johanna Acevedo, Lifang Hou, Vesna Ilievski, Craig M. Steinmaus, Martyn T. Smith, Ana Navas-Acien, Mary Gamble, Andres Cardenas
Summary: This research conducted a meta-analysis of four DNAm datasets from two continents, identifying DNA methylation positions and variable positions associated with high levels of arsenic exposure and corresponding DMRs and DVRs. KEGG pathway analysis revealed associations between arsenic exposure and biological functions such as lysosome, autophagy, mTOR signaling, AMPK signaling, and folate metabolism.
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
(2021)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Marie-Laure Ancelin, Isabelle Jaussent, Karen Ritchie, Alain Besset, Joanne Ryan, Yves Dauvilliers
Summary: This study examines the association between BDNF variants and promoter I methylation with sleep disturbances in older adults. The results show that wake time after sleep onset (WASO) is associated with four SNPs in participants not taking psychotropic drugs, while the associations are either not significant or in the reverse direction in participants taking drugs. Higher BDNF methylation levels are found in participants with long WASO, and this varies depending on psychotropic drug use.
JOURNAL OF SLEEP RESEARCH
(2023)
Review
Veterinary Sciences
Rose Whelan, Sina Toenges, Florian Boehl, Frank Lyko
Summary: Biomarkers for holistic animal welfare monitoring are urgently needed in veterinary medicine. Epigenetic modifications, like DNA methylation, have great potential for biomarker development as they provide valuable information about cellular states and environments. This review discusses animal DNA methylation patterns, the technologies for analyzing them, and key frameworks for developing compound DNA methylation biomarkers, DNA methylation clocks, and environment-specific DNA methylation signatures. Practical examples of applying these biomarkers for health and environmental exposure monitoring are also provided. This article provides an overview of the molecular and biological foundations for developing epigenetic biomarkers in veterinary science and their potential in animal welfare monitoring.
FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
(2023)