Beyond DMA methylation: investigating histone modifications and miRNAs in epidemiology studies

摘要

Background: Interest in epigenetic phenomena has dramatically intensified over the last two decades with an exponential increase in PubMed-indexed publications from fewer than 150 in 1990 to over 13,000 in 2011. Publically available data from the NIH RePORTER reveal that the U.S. National Institutes of Health will spend over $700 million (2.8% of their total costs) on epigenetics in 2012. NIH-wide the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences is one of the top two Institutes in proportion of overall spending on epigenetic projects - second only to the National Human Genome Research Institute (NIEHS's 7.1% vs. NHGRI's 8.0%). Methods/Results: Despite this surge, human environmental studies, thus far, have typically focused on DNA methyiation as an easy-to-measure epigenetic mark with well-established function. The ease of preserving, storing and transporting DNA compared to the more care-intensive approaches to RNA and chromatin makes DNA methyiation the least costly analytic approach. However, recent advances in molecular biology have opened new paths toward the integration of other epigenetic analyses into epidemiology and environmental health studies. This presentation will provide examples from recent environmental health studies on miRNAs and histone modifications. Emerging opportunities and tools, as well as potential challenges, will be highlighted and discussed. Conclusions: Prospects for future large scale environmental health studies will be outlined.