Environmentally Induced Epigenetic Plasticity in Development: Epigenetic Toxicity and Epigenetic Adaptation

AbstractPurpose of ReviewEpigenetic processes represent important mechanisms underlying developmental plasticity in response to environmental exposures. The current review discusses three classes of environmentally induced epigenetic changes reflecting two aspects of that plasticity, toxicity effects as well as adaptation in the process of development.Recent FindingsDue to innate resilience, epigenetic changes caused by environmental exposures may not always lead to impairments but may allow the organisms to achieve positive developmental outcomes through appropriate adaptation and a buffering response. Thus, some epigenetic adaptive responses to an immediate stimulus or exposure early in life would be expected to have a survival advantage but these same responses may also result in adverse developmental outcomes as they persist into later life stages. Although accumulating literature has identified environmentally induced epigenetic changes and linked them to health outcomes, we currently face challenges in the interpretation of the functional impact of their epigenetic plasticity.SummaryCurrent environmental epigenetic research suggests that epigenetic processes may serve as a mechanism for resilience, and that they can be considered in terms of their impact on toxicity as a negative outcome, but also on adaptation for improved survival or health. This review encourages epigenetic environmental studies to move deeper into the functional meaning of epigenetic plasticity in d...
Source: Current Epidemiology Reports - Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research