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Environmentally Induced Epigenetic Plasticity in Development: Epigenetic Toxicity and Epigenetic Adaptation

  • Genetic Epidemiology (C Amos, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose of Review

Epigenetic processes represent important mechanisms underlying developmental plasticity in response to environmental exposures. The current review discusses three classes of environmentally induced epigenetic changes reflecting two aspects of that plasticity, toxicity effects as well as adaptation in the process of development.

Recent Findings

Due to innate resilience, epigenetic changes caused by environmental exposures may not always lead to impairments but may allow the organisms to achieve positive developmental outcomes through appropriate adaptation and a buffering response. Thus, some epigenetic adaptive responses to an immediate stimulus or exposure early in life would be expected to have a survival advantage but these same responses may also result in adverse developmental outcomes as they persist into later life stages. Although accumulating literature has identified environmentally induced epigenetic changes and linked them to health outcomes, we currently face challenges in the interpretation of the functional impact of their epigenetic plasticity.

Summary

Current environmental epigenetic research suggests that epigenetic processes may serve as a mechanism for resilience, and that they can be considered in terms of their impact on toxicity as a negative outcome, but also on adaptation for improved survival or health. This review encourages epigenetic environmental studies to move deeper into the functional meaning of epigenetic plasticity in development.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH-NIEHS R01ES022223, P01 ES022832, R21 ES028226, R24 ES028507) and by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (U.S. EPA grant RD83544201). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the grantee and do not necessarily represent the official views of the U.S. EPA. Further, the U.S. EPA does not endorse the purchase of any commercial products or services mentioned in the presentation.

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  1. Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA

    Fu-Ying Tian & Carmen J. Marsit

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  1. Fu-Ying Tian
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Correspondence to Carmen J. Marsit.

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Fu-Ying Tian reports grants from the National Institutes of Health, grants from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, during the conduct of the study. Carmen Marsit reports grants from the National Institutes of Health, grants from US. Environmental Protection Agency, during the conduct of the study.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Genetic Epidemiology

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Tian, FY., Marsit, C.J. Environmentally Induced Epigenetic Plasticity in Development: Epigenetic Toxicity and Epigenetic Adaptation. Curr Epidemiol Rep 5, 450–460 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40471-018-0175-7

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