Epigenetic Mechanisms of Transmission of Metabolic Disease across Generations

Vicencia Micheline Sales; Anne C Ferguson-Smith; Mary-Elizabeth Patti

doi:10.1016/j.cmet.2017.02.016

Epigenetic Mechanisms of Transmission of Metabolic Disease across Generations

Cell Metab. 2017 Mar 7;25(3):559-571. doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2017.02.016.

Authors

Vicencia Micheline Sales¹, Anne C Ferguson-Smith², Mary-Elizabeth Patti³

Affiliations

¹ Integrative Physiology and Metabolism, Research Division, Joslin Diabetes Center and Harvard Medical School, One Joslin Place, Sixth Floor, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
² Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EH, UK.
³ Integrative Physiology and Metabolism, Research Division, Joslin Diabetes Center and Harvard Medical School, One Joslin Place, Sixth Floor, Boston, MA 02215, USA. Electronic address: mary.elizabeth.patti@joslin.harvard.edu.

Abstract

Both human and animal studies indicate that environmental exposures experienced during early life can robustly influence risk for adult disease. Moreover, environmental exposures experienced by parents during either intrauterine or postnatal life can also influence the health of their offspring, thus initiating a cycle of disease risk across generations. In this Perspective, we focus on epigenetic mechanisms in germ cells, including DNA methylation, histone modification, and non-coding RNAs, which collectively may provide a non-genetic molecular legacy of prior environmental exposures and influence transcriptional regulation, developmental trajectories, and adult disease risk in offspring.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

Animals
Epigenesis, Genetic*
Family Characteristics*
Humans
Inheritance Patterns / genetics
Metabolic Diseases / genetics*
Phenotype
Risk Factors

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding