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Genetic and Epigenetic Responses to the Environment: Developmental Origin of...
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Genetic and Epigenetic Responses to the Environment: Developmental Origin of Diseases and Measures to Mitigate Their Manifestations

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 April 2025 | Viewed by 983

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Lon Jeffrey Van Winkle

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Department of Medical Humanities, Rocky Vista University, 8401 S. Chambers Road, Englewood, CO 80112, USA
2. Department of Biochemistry, Midwestern University, Downers Grove, IL 60515, USA
Interests: developmental origins of health and disease; environmentally induced epigenetic modifications and human health; cultural diversity and bias mitigation; relationship-centered teaching and care; interprofessional education; public health
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Rebecca Jean Ryznar

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biomedical Sciences, Rocky Vista University, Englewood, CO 80112, USA
Interests: epigenetic clock; epigenetic changes during aging; developmental epigenetics
Prof. Dr. Philip M. Iannaccone

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Departments of Pathology and Pediatrics, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60611, USA
Interests: stem cells; gene regulation; cancer biology; cell biology; embryology; cell imaging
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The expression of genes and their epigenetic modifications drive development throughout the life cycle from conception to death. Successful and desirable development depends on sequential changes in the expression of these genes owing, in part, to their healthy epigenetic modifications.  However, epigenetic changes resulting from adverse environments and aging also lead to the development of a variety of childhood and adult diseases and disorders. These pathological conditions reflect undesirable epigenetic landscapes and include diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and many others in humans. This Special Issue intends to (1) review and report recent and new research findings about epigenetic changes in genes that regulate the development of humans and other organisms, including all stages of ontogeny, and (2) consider age-related and other epigenetic changes that drive manifestations of pathological conditions. We invite manuscript submissions concerning, but not limited to, the following keywords regarding the genes and their modifications normally regulating development, their undesirable epigenetic modifications owing to aging and adverse environmental conditions, and the transgenerational transmission of such modified genes.

Prof. Dr. Lon Jeffrey Van Winkle
Dr. Rebecca Jean Ryznar
Prof. Dr. Philip M. Iannaccone
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • genetics
  • epigenetics
  • ontogeny
  • tissue differentiation
  • metabolic signaling
  • DNA methylation
  • histone modifications
  • miRNAs
  • epigenetic clock
  • transgenerational epigenetic inheritance

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

17 pages, 373 KiB  
Review
Genetics, Epigenetics, and the Environment: Are Precision Medicine, Provider Compassion, and Social Justice Effective Public Health Measures to Mitigate Disease Risk and Severity?
by Philip M. Iannaccone, Rebecca J. Ryznar and Lon J. Van Winkle
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21(11), 1522; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21111522 - 16 Nov 2024
Viewed by 611
Abstract
Environmental forces impacting public health include exposure to toxic substances, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), diet, and exercise. Here, we examine the first two of these forces in some detail since they may be amenable to correction through cultural, medical, and practitioner intervention. At [...] Read more.
Environmental forces impacting public health include exposure to toxic substances, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), diet, and exercise. Here, we examine the first two of these forces in some detail since they may be amenable to correction through cultural, medical, and practitioner intervention. At the same time, changing people’s dietary and exercise routines are likely more resistant to these interventions and are referred to only incidentally in this review. That is, societal efforts could prevent exposure to toxicants and ACEs—not necessarily requiring cooperation by the affected individuals—whereas changing diet and exercise practices requires an individual’s discipline. Toxic substances considered in this review include endocrine disruptors, arsenics, 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), the organic solvent, Trichloroethylene (TCE), and the Benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) produced from incomplete combustion of tobacco and other organic materials. Exposure to each of these toxic substances may have serious adverse health effects, especially in genetically more susceptible individuals. For example, children of mothers exposed to the endocrine disruptor, Atrazine, have significantly lower birth length, weight, and head circumference. Moreover, male offspring exhibit genital abnormalities, and all of these effects may be transgenerational. However, analyses of interactions among genes, the environment, and epigenetic modifications have already revealed distinctive individual risks of adverse reactions to toxic exposure. So, interventions through precision medicine might improve the health of those exposed individuals. Adults previously exposed to more than one ACE (e.g., child abuse and inter-parental violence) are more likely to develop anxiety, cancer, and diabetes. Detecting ACE exposures in children in the general population is fraught with difficulty. Thus, the risks of ACEs to our health remain even more insidious than exposures to toxicants. Nevertheless, higher provider compassion is associated with significantly better clinical outcomes for patients with these afflictions. For all these reasons, the first major aim of this review is to recount several of the major forces contributing to or impairing public health. Our second major aim is to examine mitigating influences on these forces, including social justice and provider compassion in the setting of precision medicine. Idealistically, these mitigators might eventually lead to the development of more cooperative and compassionate cultures and societies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetic and Epigenetic Responses to the Environment: Developmental Origin of Diseases and Measures to Mitigate Their Manifestations)
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