Epigenomics of Bisphenol A Exposure and Disease Risk

描述（由申请人提供）：我们建议研究正常乳腺上皮细胞在生理刺激和环境扰动下的表观遗传变化。整合组学方法将用于确定雌激素受体（ER）1阳性细胞受配体刺激的整体染色质谱。ER1信号的复杂调控网络随着响应基因中染色质的改变而被激活。然后这些基因的表达回到基础水平。染色质处于半开放状态，当信号被下一个配体周期激活时，染色质准备接受转录因子或抑制因子。当上皮祖细胞持续暴露于雌激素增塑剂如双酚A （BPA）时，染色质动力学的内稳态受到干扰。我们假设反应基因的一个子集被重新编程以经历永久沉默。在这些基因中可能会逐步获得抑制性组蛋白标记、多梳抑制因子和DNA甲基转移酶。这种损伤信息可以遗传地传递给分化的后代，DNA甲基化在目标CpG岛逐渐积累。这些CpG岛的表观基因组图谱可以确定潜在的生物标志物，这些生物标志物可用作环境传感器，监测人类对环境雌激素的暴露。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): We propose to study epigenetic changes in normal breast epithelial cells responding to physiological stimulation and environmentally perturbation. Integrative omic approaches will be used to determine global chromatin profiles in estrogen receptor (ER)1-positive cells stimulated with ligands. Complex regulatory networks of ER1 signaling are activated with concomitant alterations of chromatin in responsive genes. The expression of these genes then returns to the basal level. Chromatin is in a semi-open state, poised to receive transcription factors or repressors when signaling is activated by the next cycle of ligand. The homeostasis of chromatin dynamics is perturbed when epithelial progenitor cells are continually exposed to estrogenic plasticizers like bisphenol A (BPA). We hypothesize that a subset of responsive genes is reprogrammed to undergo permanent silencing. Step-wise acquisition of repressive histone marks, polycomb repressors, and DNA methyltransferases may take place in these genes. This injury information can be heritably transmitted to the differentiated progeny, and DNA methylation is progressively accumulated in target CpG islands. Epigenomic mapping of these CpG islands may identify potential biomarkers that are used as environmental sensors for monitoring human exposures to environmental estrogens.