Developmental Epigenomics and Metabolic Disease

摘要: Organisms have evolved the processes of developmental plasticity to adjust their trajectory in response early life exposure environmental cues. The potentially adaptive nature such anticipatory responses is aimed at promoting Darwinian fitness; however, a mismatch between induced phenotype and later environment increases risk disease, as evolutionary act maximize reproductive success not maintain health longevity. We focus on origins metabolic disease humans particularly with respect under- overnutrition review experimental, epidemiological, clinical evidence implicating epigenetic mechanisms modulation risk. There growing that marks—and hence possibly risk—may be transgenerationally transmitted via non-genomic pathways inheritance. This has implications both for perpetuation across generations potential impact evolution should marks become genomically fixed. also discuss epigenomics identifying prognostic biomarkers therapeutic targets raise several technical methodological caveats borne mind when undertaking interpreting epigenomic research.