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Prospects for incorporation of epigenetic biomarkers in human health and environmental risk assessment of chemicals
- Source :
- Biological Reviews. 95:822-846
- Publication Year :
- 2020
- Publisher :
- Wiley, 2020.
-
Abstract
- Epigenetic mechanisms have gained relevance in human health and environmental studies, due to their pivotal role in disease, gene × environment interactions and adaptation to environmental change and/or contamination. Epigenetic mechanisms are highly responsive to external stimuli and a wide range of chemicals has been shown to determine specific epigenetic patterns in several organisms. Furthermore, the mitotic/meiotic inheritance of such epigenetic marks as well as the resulting changes in gene expression and cell/organismal phenotypes has now been demonstrated. Therefore, epigenetic signatures are interesting candidates for linking environmental exposures to disease as well as informing on past exposures to stressors. Accordingly, epigenetic biomarkers could be useful tools in both prospective and retrospective risk assessment but epigenetic endpoints are currently not yet incorporated into risk assessments. Achieving a better understanding on this apparent impasse, as well as identifying routes to promote the application of epigenetic biomarkers within environmental risk assessment frameworks are the objectives of this review. We first compile evidence from human health studies supporting the use of epigenetic exposure-associated changes as reliable biomarkers of exposure. Then, specifically focusing on environmental science, we examine the potential and challenges of developing epigenetic biomarkers for environmental fields, and discuss useful organisms and appropriate sequencing techniques to foster their development in this context. Finally, we discuss the practical incorporation of epigenetic biomarkers in the environmental risk assessment of chemicals, highlighting critical data gaps and making key recommendations for future research within a regulatory context.
- Subjects :
- 0106 biological sciences
Environmental change
Context (language use)
Computational biology
Disease
Risk Assessment
010603 evolutionary biology
01 natural sciences
General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
Epigenesis, Genetic
03 medical and health sciences
Animals
Humans
Epigenetics
030304 developmental biology
Epigenetic biomarkers
0303 health sciences
Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
Environmental Biomarkers
Stressor
Environmental Exposure
DNA Methylation
Environmental studies
Daphnia
Artemia
General Agricultural and Biological Sciences
Risk assessment
Biomarkers
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 1469185X and 14647931
- Volume :
- 95
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Biological Reviews
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....fdc2a725e1795b342ddb8c28edbc68fa