Environmental Epigenomics in Health and Disease

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xiv

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2. Epigenetic Programming of the Brain

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1

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   2. Epigenetics and Maternal Brain Evolution

      • Eric B. Keverne

      Pages 3-20

   3. Social Environment and DNA Methylation: A Mechanism for Linking Nurture and Nature

      • Moshe Szyf

      Pages 21-35

   4. Sex Differences in Epigenetic Programming of Brain Differentiation: Implications for Mental Health and Disease

      • Anthony P. Auger, Catherine J. Auger

      Pages 37-54

3. Epigenetics and Neurological Disorders

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 55-55

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   2. Phenotypic Plasticity, Pleiotropy, and the Growth-First Theory of Imprinting

      • Jon F. Wilkins

      Pages 57-72

   3. The Imprinted Brain: How Genes Set the Balance Between Autism and Psychosis

      • Christopher Badcock

      Pages 73-96

   4. Epigenetics at the Interface of Genetics and Environmental Factors in Autism

      • Janine M. LaSalle, Roxanne O. Vallero, Michelle M. Mitchell

      Pages 97-114

   5. Epigenomic and Noncoding RNA Regulation in Addictive Processes

      • John S. Satterlee

      Pages 115-165

   6. Epigenetic Therapies in Neurological Diseases

      • Hsien-Sung Huang, Benjamin D. Philpot, Yong-hui Jiang

      Pages 167-193

4. Epigenetics, Nutrition, Diabetes, and Obesity

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 195-195

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   2. Nutrition, Histone Epigenetic Marks, and Disease

      • Janos Zempleni, Dandan Liu, Jing Xue

      Pages 197-217

   3. Chromatin Switching and Gene Dynamics Associated with Type 2 Diabetes

      • Ian C. Wood

      Pages 219-233

   4. Developmental Epigenetic Programming in Diabetes and Obesity

      • Caroline L. Relton, George Davey-Smith, Susan E. Ozanne

      Pages 235-253

5. Epigenetics and Cancer

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 255-255

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   2. Developmental Reprogramming by Environmental Estrogens: How Early Life Exposures Affect Cancer Risk in Adulthood

      • Cheryl L. Walker

      Pages 257-267

   3. Human Cancer Epigenetics

      • F. Javier Carmona, Manel Esteller

      Pages 269-293

6. Epigenetics and the Law

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 295-295

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   2. Legal and Ethical Implications of Epigenetics

      • Mark A. Rothstein

      Pages 297-308

There are now compelling human epidemiological and animal experimental data that indicate the risk of developing adult-onset complex diseases and neurological disorders are influenced by persistent epigenetic adaptations in response to prenatal and early postnatal exposures to environmental factors. Epigenetics refers to heritable changes in gene function that occur without a change in the sequence of the DNA. The main components of the epigenetic code are DNA methylation, histone modifications, and non-coding RNAs. The epigenetic programs are established as stem cell differentiate during embryogenesis, and they are normally faithfully reproduced during mitosis. Moreover, they can also be maintained during meiosis, resulting in epigenetic transgenerational disease inheritance, and also potentially introducing phenotypic variation that is selected for in the evolution of new species. The objective of this two volume book is to provide evidence that environmental exposures during early development can alter the risk of developing medical conditions, such as asthma, autism, cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, and schizophrenia later in life by modifying the epigenome. Consequently, epigenetic research promises to markedly improve our ability to diagnosis, prevent, and treat the pathological conditions of humans; however, it also introduces unique legal and ethical issues. This volume highlights the correlation between environmental factors and complex diseases, such as autism, addiction, neurological diseases, diabetes, obesity and cancer. It concludes with a chapter on legal and ethical implications of epigenetics. ​

• DNA methylation
• chromatin switching
• epigenetic programming
• human cancer epigenetics
• imprinting
• social environment

• , Department of Oncology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, USA

  Randy L. Jirtle

• National Institute of Environmental Hea, NIEHS, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, USA

  Frederick L. Tyson

Policies and ethics