Impact of environmental conditions and chemicals on the neuronal epigenome.

Impact of environmental conditions and chemicals on the neuronal epigenome. Curr Opin Chem Biol. 2018 Jun 15;45:157-165 Authors: Del Blanco B, Barco A Abstract During development, chromatin changes contribute to establishing and maintaining the distinct gene-expression profiles of each individual cell type in a multicellular organism. This feat is especially remarkable in the human brain considering the sheer number of distinct cell types that make up this organ. This epigenetic programing is sensitive to environmental influences such as the presence of toxicants, diet, temperature, maternal behavior and many other external factors that can lead to sustained differences in neuronal gene expression. Here, we review a number of studies that demonstrate the existence of these environmental fingerprints in the neuronal epigenome and discuss the current challenges and prospects of environmental neuroepigenetics research. PMID: 29913328 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Current Opinion in Chemical Biology - Category: Biochemistry Authors: Tags: Curr Opin Chem Biol Source Type: research