Environmental Epigenomics and Disease Susceptibility

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal requests support for a Keystone Symposia meeting entitled Environmental Epigenomics and Disease Susceptibility, organized by Randy L. Jirtle, Moshe Szyf and Frederick L. Tyson, which will be held in Asheville, North Carolina from March 27 - April 1, 2011. There are now compelling human epidemiological and animal experimental data that indicate the risk of developing adult-onset complex diseases and neurological disorders is influenced by persistent epigenetic adaptations in response to prenatal and early postnatal environmental exposures. Thus, to effectively promote public health, it is critical to determine whether environmental factors as diverse as endocrine disruptors, nutritional supplements, and nurturing behavior can alter the pathogenesis of adult diseases by modifying the epigenome rather than mutating the genome. These are the scientific topics that will be discussed in depth at the Keystone Symposia meeting on Environmental Epigenomics and Disease Susceptibility. More specifically, the objective of this meeting is to provide evidence that environmental exposures during early development, by modifying the epigenome, can alter the risk of developing medical conditions, such as asthma, autism, cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, and schizophrenia later in life. In particular, the importance of environmentally-induced epigenetic effects on brain development will be stressed in this meeting. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The complex biological processes underlying states of health and disease involve gene-environment interactions (or epigenetics) between many genes and external influences such as environmental chemicals, stressors, nutrition, and drugs. In fact, environmental agents have been associated with a number of diseases including autism, bipolar disorder, cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, and schizophrenia. The Keystone Symposia meeting on Environmental Epigenomics and Disease Susceptibility will examine the evidence that environmental exposures during early development, by modifying the epigenome, can alter the risk of developing medical conditions later in life.