Docosahexaenoic acid and oleic acid induce altered DNA methylation of individual CpG loci in Jurkat T cells

Fatty acids can modify cell function by influencing cell membrane fluidity and, consequently the activity of integral proteins, by changing the nature of lipid second messengers and by altering the expression of the transcriptome, for example via the induction of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) activity [1]. In addition, there is increasing evidence that fatty acids can alter cell function via inducing changes in epigenetic processes [2]. For example, feeding pre-pregnant and pregnant mice diets with different 18:2n-6: 18:3n-3 ratios has been shown to induce in the offspring modest changes in the mean DNA methylation of the Fads2 promoter [3].
Source: Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids - Category: Biomedical Science Authors: Source Type: research