Nutritional Epigenomics: A Portal to Disease Prevention |
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| Authors: | Sang-Woon Choi Kate J Claycombe J Alfredo Martinez Simonetta Friso Kevin L Schalinske |
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| Institution: | 3.Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Boston, MA;4.USDA-ARS Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center, Grand Forks, ND;5.University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain;6.CIBERobn Nutricion y Obesidad, Carlos III, Madrid, Spain;7.University of Verona School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Verona, Italy; and;8.Iowa State University, Ames, IA |
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| Abstract: | Epigenetics can be defined as inheritable and reversible phenomena that affect gene expression without altering the underlying base pair sequence. Epigenomics is the study of genome-wide epigenetic modifications. Because gene expression changes are critical in both normal development and disease progression, epigenetics is widely applicable to many aspects of biological research. The influences of nutrients and bioactive food components on epigenetic phenomena such as DNA methylation and various types of histone modifications have been extensively investigated. Because an individual’s epigenetic patterns are established during early gestation and are changed and personalized by environmental factors during our lifetime, epigenetic mechanisms are quite important in the development of transgenerational and adult obesity as well as in the development of diabetes mellitus. Aging and cancer demonstrate profound genome-wide DNA methylation changes, suggesting that nutrition may affect the aging process and cancer development through epigenetic mechanisms. |
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