Minireview: Epigenomic plasticity and vulnerability to EDC exposures

Abstract

The epigenome undergoes significant remodeling during tissue and organ development, which coincides with a period of exquisite sensitivity to environmental exposures. In the case of endocrine- disrupting compounds (EDCs), exposures can reprogram the epigenome of developing tissues to increase susceptibility to diseases later in life, a process termed “developmental reprogramming.” Both DNA methylation and histone modifications have been shown to be vulnerable to disruption by EDC exposures, and several mechanisms have been identified by which EDCs can reprogram the epigenome. These include altered methyl donor availability, loss of imprinting control, changes in dioxygenase activity, altered expression of noncoding RNAs, and activation of cell signaling pathways that can phosphorylate, and alter the activity of, histone methyltransferases. This altered epigenomic programming can persist across the life course, and in some instances generations, to alter gene expression in ways that correlate with increased disease susceptibility. Together, these studies on developmental reprogramming of the epigenome by EDCs are providing new insights into epigenomic plasticity that is vulnerable to disruption by environmental exposures.