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Genetics and exercise: an introduction
Published in Adam P. Sharples, James P. Morton, Henning Wackerhage, Molecular Exercise Physiology, 2022
Claude Bouchard, Henning Wackerhage
In summary, the profile of DNA methylation and chemical modification of histone proteins constitutes the epigenome. Epigenetic modifications can occur at all ages as a result of exposure to environmental factors, such as nutrients, cellular insults and stress. The research on whether acute exercise, exercise training or inactivity are stimuli that can trigger epigenetic events is discussed later in this book (Chapter 6). Retained epigenetic modifications to DNA in skeletal muscle tissue have been identified following exercise training, even after a period of detraining, and therefore a so-called epigenetic memory or “epi-memory” of prior exercise has been proposed. Epigenetics of exercise and muscle “memory” are also discussed in detail later in this book (Chapter 6).
DNA methylation analysis using bisulfite sequencing data
Published in Altuna Akalin, Computational Genomics with R, 2020
The epigenome consists of chemical modifications of DNA and histones. These modifications are shown to be associated with gene regulation in various settings (see Chapter 1 for an intro). These modifications in turn have specific importance for cell type identification. There are many different ways of measuring such modifications. We have shown how histone modifications can be measured in a genome-wide manner in Chapter 9 using ChIP-seq. In this chapter we will focus on the analysis of DNA methylation data using data from a technique called bisulfite sequencing (BS-seq). We will introduce how to process data and data quality checks, as well as statistical analysis relevant for BS-seq data.
Candidate Genes, Gene × Environment Interactions, and Epigenetics
Published in Gail S. Anderson, Biological Influences on Criminal Behavior, 2019
Although almost all changes caused by the epigenome involve specializing cells and are under genetic control, the epigenome can be affected by the environment. For example, lifestyle environmental factors such as a bad diet, smoking, and exposure to disease can impact the epigenome, putting stress or pressure on the body and producing chemical reactions that can change the epigenome. In some cases, these changes can cause damage to the body, such as cancer, but mostly, they allow the body to respond to a changing environment.52 Epigenetics is a new and very exciting area of disease research that is being explored to gain a greater understanding of many disease processes. From a behavioral perspective, we are more interested in the environmental effects on the epigenetic markers (DNA methylation and histone modification) in neural development, as well as other aspects of the human body that impact behavior, such as neurotransmitter function and hormones.
Can maternal treatment with metformin during gestation and lactation cause metabolic and cardiovascular disorders in rat offspring?
Published in Archives of Physiology and Biochemistry, 2020
Daniella R. B. S. Novi, Camila B. Vidigal, Bruno V. D. Marques, Simone Forcato, Hiviny A. Raquel, Dimas A. M. Zaia, Cássia T. B. V. Zaia, Marli C. Martins-Pinge, Daniela C. C. Gerardin, Graziela S. Ceravolo
The concept that events occurring during the development of the organism, such as maternal diseases or exposure to xenobiotics during pregnancy, may program or influence the health of the individual (Sinclair et al.2007, Gluckman et al.2009) is known as the hypothesis of Developmental Origin of Health and Disease (DOHaD). According to this concept, environmental influences during development lead to permanent changes in the epigenome, through molecular mechanisms that establish and maintain mitotically stable patterns of gene expression without alter the genomic DNA sequence, which in turn increase the risk of chronic metabolic and cardiovascular diseases in later stages of life (Gluckman et al.2009). In this context, metformin has been considered safe during pregnancy and lactation, for not being teratogenic. Although the consequences of metformin exposure in utero to progeny is not completely clear, due to the restricted number of studies evaluating the long-term effects of this exposure.
Identification of potential ‘lifestyle-responsive’ epigenomic biomarkers in healthy women aged 18–40
Published in Biomarkers, 2018
Michelle Thunders, Victoria Chinn, Jaret Bilewitch, Peter Stockwell
Health is determined by the inherited genome and the modifiable environment. As a major regulator of gene expression, the epigenome is responsive to a broad range of environmental factors. Epigenomic changes occur throughout the lifespan and are sensitive to environmental influences including exercise, stress, diet and shift work (Romani et al.2015). The epigenome therefore provides a homeostatic mechanism at the molecular level which allows phenotypic malleability in response to the changing internal and external environments. The flexibility and dynamic responsiveness of the methylome demonstrates the important potential of lifestyle changes in rebooting epigenetic control of genes, this also makes the methylome an attractive source of biomarkers to evaluate the molecular impact of lifestyle changes as well as a potential target for therapeutic intervention (Rius and Lyko 2012). Comparison of comprehensive methylation patterns in healthy individuals at multiple time points can further our understanding of whether such changes can be early indicators of chronic disease that, if identified, have significant potential for reversibility (Shvetsov et al.2015).
Blood biomarkers and treatment response in major depression
Published in Expert Review of Molecular Diagnostics, 2018
Cristina Mora, Valentina Zonca, Marco A. Riva, Annamaria Cattaneo
Furthermore, up to now, none of the hypothesis-driven studies based on large Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS) or whole-transcriptomic analyses have identified robust biomarkers of antidepressant response, and their findings have been poorly replicated. On the other side, proteomic and metabolomic markers hold great promise for the identification of pathways involved in antidepressant response, but they are still limited in number, due to the complex technologies, high costs, and technical skills required. Studies focusing on epigenome have been rarely analyzed, although recent findings suggest that they are an interesting path to explore. Indeed, epigenetics may provide new insight into pathophysiology of major depression and may yield novel biomarkers for diagnosis and treatment response. Several different types of epigenetic mechanisms have been implicated to date: they include DNA methylation, posttranslational modification of histone proteins, and also the regulation of transcription and translation by noncoding RNAs. Some epigenetic modifications, especially DNA methylation, have been considered irreversible in the past. By now, it has been shown that even stable chemical modifications, such as DNA methylation, underlie highly dynamic regulation. This potential reversibility makes these mechanisms suitable to be tested as potential biomarkers for treatment response, also because there are increasing evidences that drugs in current therapeutic practice directly or indirectly affect epigenomic status, and this in turn can influence the treatment response.