Dr. Anusha Sunder*

Doctorate in Life Science/Human Nutrition, Accredited Certification in Nutrigenetics, Lead Scientist and Nutrigenetic Expert, Xcode Life Sciences, Pvt. Ltd. Chennai, India

*Corresponding Author: Dr. Anusha Sunder, Doctorate in Life Science/Human Nutrition, Accredited Certification in Nutrigenetics, Lead Scientist and Nutrigenetic Expert, Xcode Life Sciences, Pvt. Ltd. Chennai, India.

Received: May 06, 2024; Published: June 25, 2024

Abstract

There is a famous saying which goes as ‘nothing is permanent except change’. We are all aware that the way our genes are expressed remains unchanged for a lifetime. Now, then why do we talk about change in genes, isn’t it strange? Yes! Let’s read more about this interesting topic, ‘EPIGENETICS’. Changes in genetic sequence or in other words, genetic variations resulting in inter-individual differences in a particular trait is something we all know about. Unlike this, epigenetic changes refer to addition of chemical compounds to single genes which can potentially regulate their activity. Identified triggers of epigenetic changes are tobacco smoke, pesticides, diesel exhaust, heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, radioactivity, hormone therapy and exposure to certain bacteria or virus. Nutrients have a potential role in modifying epigenetic mechanisms [1,2].

 Keywords: Nutrients; Smoke; Pesticides

References

1. Weinhold B. “Epigenetics: the science of change”. Environmental Health Perspectives 3 (2006): A160-A167.
2. Alegría-Torres JA., et al. “Epigenetics and lifestyle”. Epigenomics3 (2011): 267-277.
3. https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/primer/howgeneswork/epigenome
4. Egger G., et al. “Epigenetics in human disease and prospects for epigenetic therapy”. Nature 429 (2004): 457-463.
5. Bird A. “Perceptions of epigenetics”. Nature 447 (2007): 396-398.
6. Peschansky VJ and Wahlestedt C. “Non-coding RNAs as direct and indirect modulators of epigenetic regulation”. Epigenetics 9 (2014): 3-12.
7. Ehlert T., et al. “Epigenetics in sports”. Sports Medicine2 (2013): 93-110.
8. Goll MG and Bestor TH: Eukaryotic cytosine methyltransferases”. Annual Review of Biochemistry 74 (2005): 481-514.
9. Bird A. “DNA methylation patterns and epigenetic memory”. Genes Dev 16 (2002): 6-21.
10. Weber M., et al. “Distribution, silencing potential and evolutionary impact of promoter DNA methylation in the human genome”. Nat Genetics 39 (2007): 457-466.
11. Okano M., et al. “DNA methyltransferases Dnmt3a and Dnmt3b are essential for de novo methylation and mammalian development”. Cell 99 (1999): 247-257.
12. Berger SL. “The complex language of chromatin regulation during transcription”. Nature 447 (2007): 407-412.
13. Bernstein BE., et al. “The mammalian epigenome”. Cell 128 (2007): 669-681.
14. Goldberg AD., et al. “Epigenetics: A landscape takes shape”. Cell 128 (2007): 635-638.
15. Crider KS., et al. “Folate and DNA methylation: a review of molecular mechanisms and the evidence for folate's role”. Advances in Nutrition1 (2012): 21-38.
16. Kim YI. “Nutritional epigenetics: impact of folate deficiency on DNA methylation and colon cancer susceptibility”. Journal of Nutrition 11 (2005): 2703-2709.
17. Lamprecht SA and Lipkin M. “Chemoprevention of colon cancer by calcium, vitamin D and folate: molecular mechanisms”. Nature Review in Cancer 3 (2003): 601-614.
18. Kimura M., et al. “Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase C677T polymorphism, folic acid and riboflavin are important determinants of genome stability in cultured human lymphocytes”. Journal of Nutrition 134 (2004): 48-56.
19. Harr JC., et al. “Histones and histone modifications in perinuclear chromatin anchoring: From yeast to man”. EMBO Report 17 (2016): 139-155.
20. Jenuwein T and Allis CD. “Translating the histone code”. Science 293 (2001): 1074-1080.
21. Lu C., et al. “Histone H3K36 mutations promote sarcomagenesis through altered histone methylation landscape”. Science 352 (2016): 844-849.
22. Mellor J., et al. “A glimpse into the epigenetic landscape of gene regulation”. Current Opinion in Genetics and Development 18 (2008): 116-122.
23. Grewal SI and Elgin SC. “Transcription and RNA interference in the formation of heterochromatin”. Nature 447 (2007): 399-406.
24. Reik W. “Stability and flexibility of epigenetic gene regulation in mammalian development”. Nature 447 (2007): 425-432.
25. Tchurikov NA. “Molecular mechanisms of epigenetics”. Biochemistry (Mosc) 70 (2005): 406-423.
26. Dashwood Rh and Ho E. “Dietary histone deacetylase inhibitors: from cells to mice to man”. Semin Cancer Biology 5 (2007): 363-369.
27. Druesne N., et al. “Diallyl disulfide (DADS) increases histone acetylation and p21 (waf1/cip1) expression in human colon tumor cell lines”. Carcinogenesis7 (2007): 1227-1236.
28. Xiang N., et al. “Selenite reactivates silenced genes by modifying DNA methylation and histones in prostate cancer cells”. Carcinogenesis11 (2008): 2175-2181.
29. Davis Cd and Milner J. “Frontiers in nutrigenomics, proteomics, metabolomics and cancer prevention”. Mutation Research1-2 (2004): 51-64.
30. Huang S. “Histone methyltransferases, diet nutrients and tumour suppressors”. Nature Reviews Cancer6 (2002): 469-476.
31. Davis Cd., et al. “DNA methylation, cancer susceptibility, and nutrient interactions”. Experimental Biology and Medicine (Maywood) 229.10 (2004): 988-995.
32. Cox R and Goorha S. “A study of the mechanism of selenite-induced hypomethylated DNA and differentiation of Friend erythroleukemic cells”. Carcinogenesis12 (1986): 2015-2018.
33. Fiala Es., et al. “Inhibition of DNA cytosine methyltransferase by chemopreventive selenium compounds, determined by an improved assay for DNA cytosine methyltransferase and DNA cytosine methylation”. Carcinogenesis 4 (1998): 597-604.
34. Davis Cd and Uthus Eo. “Dietary selenite and azadeoxycytidine treatments affect di-methylhydrazine-induced aberrant crypt formation in rat colon and DNA methylation in HT-29 cells”. Journal of Nutrition2 (2002): 292-297.
35. Davis Cd., et al. “Dietary selenium and arsenic affect DNA methylation in vitro in Caco-2 cells and in vivo in rat liver and colon”. Journal of Nutrition12 (2000): 2903-2909.
36. Fang Mz., et al. “Tea polyphenol (−)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate inhibits DNA methyltransferase and reactivates methylation-silenced genes in cancer cell lines”. Cancer Research 22 (2002): 7563-7570.
37. Lee Wj., et al. “Mechanisms for the inhibition of DNA methyltransferases by tea catechins and bioflavonoids”. Molecular Pharmacology4 (2005): 1018-1030.
38. Fang M., et al. “Dietary polyphenols may affect DNA methylation”. Journal of Nutrition 1 (2007): 223S-228S.
39. Lambert Jd., et al. “Dose-dependent levels of epigallocatechin-3-gallate in human colon cancer cells and mouse plasma and tissues”. Drug Metabolism and Disposition 1 (2006): 8-11.
40. Link A., et al. “Cancer chemoprevention by dietary polyphenols: promising role for epigenetics”. Biochemical Pharmacology 12 (2010): 1771-1792.
41. Adlercreutz H and Mazur W. “Phyto-oestrogens and Western diseases”. Annals of Medicine2 (1997): 95-120.
42. Qin W., et al. “Soy isoflavones have an antiestrogenic effect and alter mammary promoter hypermethylation in healthy premenopausal women”. Nutritional Cancer2 (2009): 238-244.
43. Kiec-Wilk B., et al. “DNA methylation, induced by beta-carotene and arachidonic acid, plays a regulatory role in the pro-angiogenic VEGF-receptor (KDR) gene expression in endothelial cells”. Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology4 (2009): 49-53.
44. Nowak J., et al. “Colitis associated colon tumorigenesis is suppressed in transgenic mice rich in endogenous n-3 fatty acids”. Carcinogenesis9 (2007): 1991-1995.
45. Zaratiegui M., et al. “Noncoding RNAs and gene silencing”. Cell 128 (2007): 763-776.
46. Ponting CP., et al. “Evolution and functions of long noncoding RNAs”. Cell 136 (2009): 629-641.
47. Costa FF. “Non-coding RNAs, epigenetics and complexity”. Gene 410 (2008): 9-17.
48. Amaral PP., et al. “The eukaryotic genome as an RNA machine”. Science 319 (2008): 1787-1789.
49. Ghildiyal M and Zamore PD. “Small silencing RNAs: An expanding universe”. Nature Reviews Genetics 10 (2009): 94-108. 2009.
50. Yu H. “Epigenetics: Advances of non-coding RNAs regulation in mammalian cells”. Yi Chuan 31 (2009): 1077-1086.
51. Zhang Ff., et al. “Physical activity and global genomic DNA methylation in a cancer-free population”. Epigenetics 3 (2005).
52. Schulz Wa., et al. “Methylation of endogenous human retroelements in health and disease”. Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology 310 (2006): 211-250.
53. Baccarelli A., et al. “Ischemic heart disease and stroke in relation to blood DNA methylation”. Epidemiology 6 (2024): 819-828.
54. Mcgee Sl., et al. “Exercise-induced histone modifications in human skeletal muscle”. Journal of Physiology24 (2024): 5951-5958.
55. Radom-Aizik S., et al. “Evidence for microRNA involvement in exercise-associated neutrophil gene expression changes”. Journal of Applied Physiology1 (2010): 252-261.
56. Hirayama J., et al. “CLOCK-mediated acetylation of BMAL1 controls circadian function”. Nature 7172 (2008): 1086-1090.
57. Grimaldi B., et al. “Chromatin remodeling, metabolism and circadian clocks: the interplay of CLOCK and SIRT1”. The International Journal of Biochemistry and Cell Biology1 (2009): 81-86.
58. Costa G. “The problem: shiftwork”. Chronobiology International2 (1997): 89-98.
59. Zhu Y., et al. “Does “clock” matter in prostate cancer?” Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention1 (2006): 3-5.
60. Sahar S and Sassone-Corsi P. “Circadian clock and breast cancer: a molecular link”. Cell Cycle11 (2007): 1329-1331.
61. Bollati V., et al. “Epigenetic effects of shiftwork on blood DNA methylation”. Chronobiology International5 (2010): 1093-1104.

Citation

Citation: Dr. Anusha Sunder. “Can Your Genes Change??”.Acta Scientific Medical Sciences 8.7 (2024): 208-213.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2024 Dr. Anusha Sunder. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.