1 6808 55 [EPIGENETICS IN ALLERGIC DISEASES AND ASTHMA]. ALLERGIC DISEASES AND ASTHMA ARE THE RESULT OF COMPLEX INTERACTIONS BETWEEN GENETIC PREDISPOSITION AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS. ASTHMA IS ONE OF THE MOST PREVALENT CHRONIC DISEASE AMONG CHILDREN. IN THIS ARTICLE WE REVIEW SOME ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS LIKE: ALLERGEN EXPOSITION, TOBACCO, BACTERIA, MICROBIAL COMPONENTS, DIET, OBESITY AND STRESS, WHICH INFLUENCES DURING INTRAUTERINE AND INFANCY LIFE IN THE EPIGENETIC REGULATION OF ASTHMA AND ALLERGIC DISEASES. THE REVIEW HAS BEEN DONE IN THREE MODELS: IN-VITRO, ANIMAL AND HUMAN. 2016 2 3580 24 IMPACT OF PERINATAL ENVIRONMENTAL TOBACCO SMOKE ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDHOOD ALLERGIC DISEASES. ALLERGIC DISEASES SUCH AS ASTHMA, ALLERGIC RHINITIS, ATOPIC DERMATITIS, AND FOOD ALLERGY, ARE MOST COMMON CHRONIC, NONCOMMUNICABLE DISEASES IN CHILDHOOD. IN THE PAST FEW DECADES, THE PREVALENCE HAS INCREASED ABRUPTLY WORLDWIDE. THERE ARE 2 POSSIBLE EXPLANATIONS FOR THE RISING PREVALENCE OF ALLERGIC DISEASES WORLDWIDE, THAT AN INCREASED DISEASE-AWARENESS OF PHYSICIAN, PATIENT, OR CAREGIVERS, AND AN ABRUPT EXPOSURE TO UNKNOWN HAZARDS. UNFORTUNATELY, THE UNDERLYING MECHANISMS REMAIN LARGELY UNKNOWN. DESPITE THE CONTINUING EFFORTS WORLDWIDE, THE ETIOLOGIES AND RISING PREVALENCE REMAIN UNCLEAR. THUS, IT IS IMPORTANT TO IDENTIFY AND CONTROL RISK FACTORS IN THE SUSCEPTIBLE INDIVIDUAL FOR THE BEST PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT. GENETIC SUSCEPTIBILITY OR ENVIRONMENTS MAY BE A POTENTIAL BACKGROUND FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF ALLERGIC DISEASE, HOWEVER THEY ALONE CANNOT EXPLAIN THE RISING PREVALENCE WORLDWIDE. THERE IS GROWING EVIDENCE THAT EPIGENETIC CHANGE DEPENDS ON THE GENE, ENVIRONMENT, AND THEIR INTERACTIONS, MAY INDUCE A LONG-LASTING ALTERED GENE EXPRESSION AND THE CONSEQUENT DEVELOPMENT OF ALLERGIC DISEASES. IN EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS, ENVIRONMENTAL TOBACCO SMOKE (ETS) EXPOSURE DURING CRITICAL PERIOD (I.E., DURING PREGNANCY AND EARLY LIFE) ARE CONSIDERED AS A POTENTIAL CAUSE OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDHOOD ALLERGIC DISEASES. HOWEVER, THE CAUSAL RELATIONSHIP IS STILL UNCLEAR. THIS REVIEW AIMED TO HIGHLIGHT THE IMPACT OF ETS EXPOSURE DURING THE PERINATAL PERIOD ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDHOOD ALLERGIC DISEASES AND TO PROPOSE A FUTURE RESEARCH DIRECTION. 2016 3 6877 25 [REASONS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF ALLERGIES IN CHILDREN]. ALLERGIES ARE ONE OF THE MOST COMMON CHRONIC DISEASES IN CHILDHOOD, CONTRIBUTING TO A TREMENDOUS MEDICAL AND ECONOMICAL BURDEN IN HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS OF MOST INDUSTRIALIZED COUNTRIES. THE DEVELOPMENT OF ALLERGIES IS DEPENDENT ON A COMPLEX INTERACTION OF-AMONG OTHERS-ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS, NUTRITION, GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS AS WELL AS THE MICROBIOME. THESE DIVERSE FACTORS CAN INFLUENCE EARLY LIFE IMMUNE REGULATION INCLUDING INNATE AND ADAPTIVE IMMUNE MECHANISMS IN A COMPLEX FASHION. IN CASE OF ANY CHILDHOOD ALLERGIES HAVE INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN PAST DECADES. IN ADDITION TO ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS AND NUTRITION, GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS AS WELL AS THE MICROBIOME OF CHILDREN PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE. OF RELEVANCE IS THE WAY IN WHICH THESE DIVERSE FACTORS INFLUENCE EARLY IMMUNE DEVELOPMENT OF THE INNATE AND ADAPTIVE IMMUNE SYSTEMS OF CHILDREN. THEIR COMPLEX REGULATION IS DECISIVE FOR WHETHER OR NOT A CHILD DEVELOPS AN ALLERGY THAT MANIFESTS IN MOST CASES AS ATOPIC DERMATITIS, BRONCHIAL ASTHMA, OR ALLERGIC RHINO CONJUNCTIVITIS, OR WHETHER A CHILD DEVELOPS AN IMMUNE TOLERANCE. THESE INFLUENCES CAN BEGIN PRENATALLY, ALREADY SETTING THE COURSE FOR LATER IMMUNE SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT AND OCCURRENCE OF DISEASE. 2019 4 1409 23 DIETARY INTERVENTIONS AND NUTRITIONAL FACTORS IN THE PREVENTION OF PEDIATRIC ASTHMA. ASTHMA IS THE MOST FREQUENT CHRONIC DISEASE IN CHILDREN, AND ITS PATHOGENESIS INVOLVES GENETIC, EPIGENETIC, AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS. THE RAPID RISE IN THE PREVALENCE OF ASTHMA REGISTERED OVER THE LAST FEW DECADES HAS STRESSED THE NEED TO IDENTIFY THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND MODIFIABLE FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE DISEASE. IN PARTICULAR, THERE IS INCREASING INTEREST IN THE ROLE OF MODIFIABLE NUTRITIONAL FACTORS SPECIFIC TO BOTH THE PRENATAL AND POST-NATAL EARLY LIFE AS, DURING THIS TIME, THE IMMUNE SYSTEM IS PARTICULARLY VULNERABLE TO EXOGENOUS INTERFERENCES. SEVERAL DIETARY FACTORS, INCLUDING MATERNAL DIET DURING PREGNANCY, THE DURATION OF BREASTFEEDING, THE USE OF SPECIAL MILK FORMULAS, THE TIMING OF THE INTRODUCTION OF COMPLEMENTARY FOODS, AND PRENATAL AND EARLY LIFE SUPPLEMENTATION WITH VITAMINS AND PROBIOTICS/PREBIOTICS, HAVE BEEN ADDRESSED AS POTENTIAL TARGETS FOR THE PREVENTION OF ASTHMA. IN THIS REVIEW, WE OUTLINE RECENT FINDINGS ON THE POTENTIAL ROLE OF PRENATAL AND PERINATAL DIETARY AND NUTRITIONAL INTERVENTIONS FOR THE PRIMARY PREVENTION OF PEDIATRIC ASTHMA. MOREOVER, WE ADDRESSED UNMET NEEDS AND AREAS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH IN THE PREVENTION OF CHILDHOOD-ONSET ASTHMA. 2020 5 5552 23 ROLE OF EPIGENETICS IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF ASTHMA. ASTHMA IS A COMPLEX, HETEROGENEOUS AND CHRONIC AIRWAY INFLAMMATORY DISEASE WITH DIFFERENT CLINICAL PHENOTYPES CAUSED BY DIVERSE TRIGGERS AND PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS. ASTHMA HERITABILITY HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED IN MANY GENETIC STUDIES BUT IT IS EVIDENT THAT ONLY GENETIC ELEMENTS ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF ASTHMA. INCREASING RATE OF ASTHMA INCIDENCE DURING PAST DECADES HAS IMPLICATED THE ROLE OF EPIGENETICS IN DEVELOPMENT OF ASTHMA. ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS PERFORM AS INITIATOR SIGNALS THROUGH EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS. THREE EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED, INCLUDING DNA METHYLATION, HISTONE MODIFICATIONS, AND SMALL NONCODING RNAS. THESE MECHANISMS REGULATE THE IMMUNE RESPONSES AND INFLAMMATORY GENES EXPRESSION IN ASTHMA AND ALLERGY. THIS REVIEW EXPLAINS THE ROLE OF EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS IN CONTROLLING TH2 RESPONSE AND IGE PRODUCTION IN ASTHMA AND ALSO BRIEFLY OVERVIEWS THE ROLE OF ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS SUCH AS POLLUTIONS, ALLERGENS, PRENATAL EXPOSURES AND DIET IN DEVELOPING ASTHMA. RECOGNIZING ENVIRONMENTAL RISK FACTORS AND THEIR EFFECTS ON EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS WOULD BE OF GREAT INTEREST FOR PROGNOSTIC AND PREVENTIVE ASPECT IN TREATMENT OF ASTHMA. 2017 6 602 25 BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF CHILDHOOD ASTHMA, TOWARDS PRIMARY PREVENTION - ARE WE THERE YET? CONSIDERATION OF PERTINENT LITERATURE. ASTHMA IS A CHRONIC DISEASE, CHARACTERIZED BY REVERSIBLE AIRWAY OBSTRUCTION, AIRWAY INFLAMMATION AND HYPER-REACTIVITY. THE PREVALENCE OF ASTHMA HAS RISEN DRAMATICALLY OVER THE PAST DECADE, AFFECTING AROUND 300,000,000 PEOPLE. THE ETIOLOGY IS MULTIFACTORIAL, WITH GENETIC, EPIGENETIC, DEVELOPMENTAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS PLAYING A ROLE. A COMPLEX INTERACTION BETWEEN THE INTRAUTERINE ENVIRONMENT, THE DEVELOPING IMMUNE SYSTEM, THE INFANT'S MICROBIOME AND INFECTIOUS ORGANISMS MAY LEAD TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF ALLERGIC SENSITIZATION AND ASTHMA. THUS, A LARGE NUMBER OF STUDIES HAVE INVESTIGATED THE RISK FACTORS FOR CHILDHOOD ASTHMA, WITH A METICULOUS SEARCH OF MODIFIABLE FACTORS THAT COULD AID IN PRIMARY PREVENTION. WE PRESENT A CURRENT LITERATURE REVIEW FROM 2014-2017, AS WELL AS OLDER CLASSIC PUBLICATIONS, ON THE PATHOGENESIS AND THE POTENTIAL MODIFIABLE FACTORS FOR PRIMARY PREVENTION OF ASTHMA. NO IDEAL PREVENTIVE MEASURE HAS YET BEEN FOUND. RATHER, CREATING FAVORABLE PRENATAL AND POSTNATAL ENVIRONMENTS, MINIMAL EXPOSURE TO HOSTILE ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS, PREVENTION OF INFECTIONS IN EARLY LIFE, ALLERGIC DESENSITIZATION AND NUTRITIONAL MODIFICATIONS COULD POSSIBLY REDUCE ASTHMA INCEPTION. IN THE ERA OF PERSONALIZED MEDICINE, IDENTIFYING INDIVIDUAL RISK FACTORS AND TAILORING SPECIFIC PREVENTIVE MEASURES IS WARRANTED. 2017 7 6811 25 [EPIGENETICS, ENVIRONMENT AND ASTHMA]. ASTHMA IS A CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASE OF THE RESPIRATORY TRACT WITH A COMPLEX GENETIC BACKGROUND INFLUENCED BY THE EXPOSITION TO A SERIES OF ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS. GENETIC STUDIES CAN ONLY ELUCIDATE PART OF THE HERITABILITY AND SUSCEPTIBILITY OF ASTHMA AND EVEN THOUGH SEVERAL DISEASES HAVE AN EVIDENT GENETIC ETIOLOGY, ONLY A FRACTION OF THE GENES INVOLVED IN THEIR PATHOGENICITY HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED. THE EPIGENETIC REGULATION OF THE LATTER IS A FACT ONE SHOULD BEAR IN MIND IN ORDER TO EXPLAIN THE MAJOR TRIGGERS OF DISEASES WHOSE UNDERSTANDING IS COMPLICATED, SUCH AS ALLERGIES AND ASTHMA. EXTERNAL STIMULUS SUCH AS NOURISHMENT, STRESS, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION, TOBACCO SMOKING AND ALCOHOL DRINKING CAN INDUCE EITHER GENE SILENCING OR GENE EXPRESSION. IN THIS REGARD, EPIGENETICS CAN EXPLAIN HOW THESE ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS INFLUENCE OUR GENETIC INHERITANCE. THERE IS GROWING EVIDENCE THAT BACKS-UP THE FACT THAT DNA METHYLATION, HISTONE POST-TRANSLATIONAL MODIFICATION AND MICRORNA EXPRESSION ARE INFLUENCED BY THE ENVIRONMENT. THIS HELPS EXPLAINING HOW SEVERAL OF THE RISK FACTORS MENTIONED CONTRIBUTE TO THE DEVELOPMENT AND INHERITANCE OF ASTHMA. IN THIS REVIEW, DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS AND THEIR RELATION WITH THE MAIN EPIGENETIC REGULATORY MECHANISMS WILL BE ANALYZED, AS WELL AS THEIR POSSIBLE ROLE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF ASTHMA. 2014 8 2492 23 EPIGENETICS AND CHILDHOOD ASTHMA: CURRENT EVIDENCE AND FUTURE RESEARCH DIRECTIONS. ASTHMA IS THE MOST COMMON CHRONIC DISEASE OF CHILDHOOD, AFFECTING ONE IN EIGHT CHILDREN IN THE USA AND WORLDWIDE. IT IS A COMPLEX DISEASE, INFLUENCED BY BOTH ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES AND GENETIC FACTORS. ALTHOUGH EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS (DNA METHYLATION, HISTONE MODIFICATION AND MIRNA) CAN AFFECT TRANSCRIPTIONAL ACTIVITY IN MULTIPLE GENETIC PATHWAYS RELEVANT FOR ASTHMA DEVELOPMENT, VERY LIMITED WORK HAS BEEN CARRIED OUT SO FAR TO EXAMINE THE ROLE OF EPIGENETIC VARIATIONS ON ASTHMA DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT. THIS REVIEW PROVIDES A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS, SUMMARIZES RECENT FINDINGS, AND DISCUSSES SOME OF THE MAJOR METHODOLOGICAL CONCERNS THAT ARE RELEVANT FOR ASTHMA EPIGENETICS. 2012 9 3421 25 HUMAN MATTERS IN ASTHMA: CONSIDERING THE MICROBIOME IN PULMONARY HEALTH. MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES FORM AN IMPORTANT SYMBIOTIC ECOSYSTEM WITHIN HUMANS AND HAVE DIRECT EFFECTS ON HEALTH AND WELL-BEING. NUMEROUS EXOGENOUS FACTORS INCLUDING AIRBORNE TRIGGERS, DIET, AND DRUGS IMPACT THESE ESTABLISHED, BUT FRAGILE COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE HUMAN LIFESPAN. CROSSTALK BETWEEN THE MUCOSAL MICROBIOTA AND THE IMMUNE SYSTEM AS WELL AS THE GUT-LUNG AXIS HAVE DIRECT CORRELATIONS TO IMMUNE BIAS THAT MAY PROMOTE CHRONIC DISEASES LIKE ASTHMA. ASTHMA INITIATION AND PATHOGENESIS ARE MULTIFACETED AND COMPLEX WITH INPUT FROM GENETIC, EPIGENETIC, AND ENVIRONMENTAL COMPONENTS. IN THIS REVIEW, WE SUMMARIZE AND DISCUSS THE ROLE OF THE AIRWAY MICROBIOME IN ASTHMA, AND HOW THE ENVIRONMENT, DIET AND THERAPEUTICS IMPACT THIS LOW BIOMASS COMMUNITY OF MICROORGANISMS. WE ALSO FOCUS THIS REVIEW ON THE PEDIATRIC AND BLACK POPULATIONS AS HIGH-RISK GROUPS REQUIRING SPECIAL ATTENTION, EMPHASIZING THAT THE WHOLE PATIENT MUST BE CONSIDERED DURING TREATMENT. ALTHOUGH NEW CULTURE-INDEPENDENT TECHNIQUES HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED AND ARE MORE ACCESSIBLE TO RESEARCHERS, THE EXACT CONTRIBUTION THE AIRWAY MICROBIOME MAKES IN ASTHMA PATHOGENESIS IS NOT WELL UNDERSTOOD. UNDERSTANDING HOW THE AIRWAY MICROBIOME, AS A LIVING ENTITY IN THE RESPIRATORY TRACT, PARTICIPATES IN LUNG IMMUNITY DURING THE DEVELOPMENT AND PROGRESSION OF ASTHMA MAY LEAD TO CRITICAL NEW TREATMENTS FOR ASTHMA, INCLUDING POPULATION-TARGETED INTERVENTIONS, OR EVEN MORE EFFECTIVE ADMINISTRATION OF CURRENTLY AVAILABLE THERAPEUTICS. 2022 10 3698 21 INFLAMMATORY MECHANISMS LINKING MATERNAL AND CHILDHOOD ASTHMA. ASTHMA IS A CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY AIRWAY DISEASE CHARACTERIZED BY AIRWAY HYPERRESPONSIVENESS, INFLAMMATION, AND REMODELING. ASTHMA OFTEN DEVELOPS DURING CHILDHOOD AND CAUSES LIFELONG DECREMENTS IN LUNG FUNCTION AND QUALITY OF LIFE. RISK FACTORS FOR CHILDHOOD ASTHMA ARE NUMEROUS AND INCLUDE GENETIC, EPIGENETIC, DEVELOPMENTAL, AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS. UNCONTROLLED MATERNAL ASTHMA DURING PREGNANCY EXPOSES THE DEVELOPING FETUS TO INFLAMMATORY INSULTS, WHICH FURTHER INCREASE THE RISK OF CHILDHOOD ASTHMA INDEPENDENT OF GENETIC PREDISPOSITION. THIS REVIEW FOCUSES ON THE ROLE OF MATERNAL ASTHMA IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF ASTHMA IN OFFSPRING. WE WILL PRESENT MATERNAL ASTHMA AS A TARGETABLE AND MODIFIABLE RISK FACTOR FOR CHILDHOOD ASTHMA AND DISCUSS THE MECHANISMS BY WHICH MATERNAL INFLAMMATION INCREASES CHILDHOOD ASTHMA RISK. TOPICS INCLUDE HOW EXPOSURE TO MATERNAL ASTHMA IN UTERO SHAPES STRUCTURAL LUNG DEVELOPMENT WITH A SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON AIRWAY NERVES, HOW MATERNAL TYPE-2 CYTOKINES SUCH AS IL-5 ACTIVATE THE FETAL IMMUNE SYSTEM, AND HOW CHANGES IN LUNG AND IMMUNE CELL DEVELOPMENT INFORM RESPONSES TO AERO-ALLERGENS LATER IN LIFE. FINALLY, WE HIGHLIGHT EMERGING EVIDENCE THAT MATERNAL ASTHMA ESTABLISHES A UNIQUE "ASTHMA SIGNATURE" IN THE AIRWAYS OF CHILDREN, LEADING TO NOVEL MECHANISMS OF AIRWAY HYPERREACTIVITY AND INFLAMMATORY CELL RESPONSES. 2020 11 1757 18 EARLY ORIGINS OF ASTHMA (AND ALLERGY). ASTHMA IS THE MOST COMMON CHRONIC DISEASE STARTING IN CHILDHOOD AND PERSISTING INTO ADULTHOOD IN MANY CASES. DURING CHILDHOOD, DIFFERENT FORMS OF ASTHMA AND WHEEZING DISORDERS EXIST THAT CAN BE DISCRIMINATED BY THE MECHANISMS THEY ARE CAUSED BY. SPECIFIC GENETIC CONSTELLATIONS AND EXPOSURE AGAINST ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS DURING EARLY CHILDHOOD AND IN UTERO PLAY A DECISIVE ROLE IN THE EARLY DEVELOPMENT OF THE DISEASE. EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS WHICH ARE MASTER REGULATORS OF GENE TRANSCRIPTION AND THUS GOVERN THE ACCESSIBILITY AND USE OF GENOME INFORMATION, HAVE RECENTLY BEEN IDENTIFIED AS A "THIRD POWER" DETERMINING MANY FEATURES IN THE EARLY DEVELOPMENT OF ASTHMA AND ALLERGY. 2016 12 2531 18 EPIGENETICS IN ASTHMA. PURPOSE OF REVIEW: ASTHMA IS ONE OF THE MOST COMMON CHRONIC RESPIRATORY DISEASES LINKED WITH INCREASED MORBIDITY AND HEALTHCARE UTILIZATION. THE UNDERLYING PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL PROCESSES AND CAUSAL RELATIONSHIPS OF ASTHMA WITH EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS ARE PARTIALLY UNDERSTOOD. HERE WE REVIEW HUMAN STUDIES OF EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS IN ASTHMA, WITH A SPECIAL FOCUS ON DNA METHYLATION. RECENT FINDINGS: EPIGENETIC STUDIES OF CHILDHOOD ASTHMA HAVE IDENTIFIED SPECIFIC METHYLATION SIGNATURES ASSOCIATED WITH ALLERGIC INFLAMMATION IN THE AIRWAY AND IMMUNE CELLS, DEMONSTRATING A REGULATORY ROLE FOR METHYLATION IN ASTHMA PATHOGENESIS. DESPITE THESE NOVEL FINDINGS, ADDITIONAL RESEARCH IN THE ROLE OF EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS UNDERLYING ASTHMA ENDOTYPES IS NEEDED. SIMILARLY, STUDIES OF HISTONE MODIFICATIONS ARE ALSO LACKING IN ASTHMA. FUTURE STUDIES OF EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS IN ASTHMA WILL BENEFIT FROM DATA INTEGRATION IN WELL PHENOTYPED COHORTS. THIS REVIEW PROVIDES AN OVERVIEW OF THE CURRENT LITERATURE ON EPIGENETIC STUDIES IN HUMAN ASTHMA, WITH SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON METHYLATION AND CHILDHOOD ASTHMA. 2019 13 2160 20 EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS IN ASTHMA. ASTHMA AND ALLERGIC DISEASES ARE AMONG THE MOST PREVALENT CHRONIC NONCOMMUNICABLE DISEASES OF CHILDHOOD, BUT THE UNDERLYING PATHOGENETIC MECHANISMS ARE POORLY UNDERSTOOD. BECAUSE EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS LINK GENE REGULATION TO ENVIRONMENTAL CUES AND DEVELOPMENTAL TRAJECTORIES, THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO ASTHMA AND ALLERGY PATHOGENESIS IS UNDER ACTIVE INVESTIGATION. DNA METHYLATION SIGNATURES ASSOCIATED WITH CONCURRENT DISEASE AND WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF ASTHMA DURING CHILDHOOD ASTHMA HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED, BUT THEIR SIGNIFICANCE IS NOT EASILY INTERPRETABLE. ON THE OTHER HAND, THE CHARACTERIZATION OF EARLY EPIGENETIC PREDICTORS OF ASTHMA POINTS TO A POTENTIAL ROLE OF EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS IN REGULATING THE INCEPTION OF, AND THE SUSCEPTIBILITY TO, THIS DISEASE. 2016 14 6191 24 THE IMPACT OF MILK AND ITS COMPONENTS ON EPIGENETIC PROGRAMMING OF IMMUNE FUNCTION IN EARLY LIFE AND BEYOND: IMPLICATIONS FOR ALLERGY AND ASTHMA. SPECIFIC AND ADEQUATE NUTRITION DURING PREGNANCY AND EARLY LIFE IS AN IMPORTANT FACTOR IN AVOIDING NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES SUCH AS OBESITY, TYPE 2 DIABETES, CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE, CANCERS, AND CHRONIC ALLERGIC DISEASES. ALTHOUGH EPIDEMIOLOGIC AND EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT NUTRITION IS IMPORTANT AT ALL STAGES OF LIFE, IT IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT IN PRENATAL AND THE FIRST FEW YEARS OF LIFE. DURING THE LAST DECADE, THERE HAS BEEN A GROWING INTEREST IN THE POTENTIAL ROLE OF EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS IN THE INCREASING HEALTH PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH ALLERGIC DISEASE. EPIGENETICS INVOLVES SEVERAL MECHANISMS INCLUDING DNA METHYLATION, HISTONE MODIFICATIONS, AND MICRORNAS WHICH CAN MODIFY THE EXPRESSION OF GENES. IN THIS STUDY, WE FOCUS ON THE EFFECTS OF MATERNAL NUTRITION DURING PREGNANCY, THE EFFECTS OF THE BIOACTIVE COMPONENTS IN HUMAN AND BOVINE MILK, AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS THAT CAN AFFECT EARLY LIFE (I.E., FARMING, MILK PROCESSING, AND BACTERIAL EXPOSURE), AND WHICH CONTRIBUTE TO THE EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THE PERSISTENT PROGRAMMING OF IMMUNE FUNCTIONS AND ALLERGIC DISEASES. THIS KNOWLEDGE WILL HELP TO IMPROVE APPROACHES TO NUTRITION IN EARLY LIFE AND HELP PREVENT ALLERGIES IN THE FUTURE. 2020 15 1640 18 DOES EPIGENETICS PLAY A ROLE IN HUMAN ASTHMA? ASTHMA AND OTHER ALLERGIC DISEASES ARE AMONG THE MOST PREVALENT CHRONIC NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES OF CHILDHOOD. ACCORDING TO THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION, ASTHMA AFFECTS >7.0 MILLION CHILDREN UNDER 18 IN THE UNITED STATES, WITH AN ECONOMIC BURDEN THAT IS ESTIMATED TO EXCEED THAT OF TUBERCULOSIS AND HIV/AIDS COMBINED. DESPITE MUCH RESEARCH, THE NATURAL HISTORY OF ASTHMA AND ITS PATHOGENESIS ARE STILL IN MANY WAYS ELUSIVE. THIS REVIEW DISCUSSES OUR CURRENT UNDERSTANDING OF THE ROLE EPIGENETIC PROCESSES PLAY IN ASTHMA PATHOGENESIS, FOCUSING ON GENOME-WIDE, POPULATION-BASED STUDIES. 2016 16 6735 21 WHAT HAVE MECHANISTIC STUDIES TAUGHT US ABOUT CHILDHOOD ASTHMA? CHILDHOOD ASTHMA IS A CHRONIC HETEROGENEOUS SYNDROME CONSISTING OF DIFFERENT DISEASE ENTITIES OR PHENOTYPES. THE IMMUNOLOGIC AND CELLULAR PROCESSES THAT OCCUR DURING ASTHMA DEVELOPMENT ARE STILL NOT FULLY UNDERSTOOD BUT REPRESENT DISTINCT ENDOTYPES. MECHANISTIC STUDIES HAVE EXAMINED THE ROLE OF GENE EXPRESSION, PROTEIN LEVELS, AND CELL TYPES IN EARLY LIFE DEVELOPMENT AND THE MANIFESTATION OF ASTHMA, MANY UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL STIMULI, WHICH CAN BE BOTH PROTECTIVE AND RISK FACTORS FOR ASTHMA. GENETIC VARIANTS CAN REGULATE GENE EXPRESSION, CONTROLLED PARTLY BY DIFFERENT EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS. IN ADDITION, ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS, SUCH AS LIVING SPACE, NUTRITION, AND SMOKING, CAN CONTRIBUTE TO THESE MECHANISMS. ALL OF THESE FACTORS PRODUCE MODIFICATIONS IN GENE EXPRESSION THAT CAN ALTER THE DEVELOPMENT AND FUNCTION OF IMMUNE AND EPITHELIAL CELLS AND SUBSEQUENTLY DIFFERENT TRAJECTORIES OF CHILDHOOD ASTHMA. THESE EARLY CHANGES IN A PARTIALLY IMMATURE IMMUNE SYSTEM CAN HAVE DRAMATIC EFFECTS (E.G., CAUSING DYSREGULATION), WHICH IN TURN CONTRIBUTE TO DIFFERENT DISEASE ENDOTYPES AND MAY HELP TO EXPLAIN DIFFERENTIAL RESPONSIVENESS TO ASTHMA TREATMENT. IN THIS REVIEW, WE SUMMARIZE PUBLISHED STUDIES THAT HAVE AIMED TO UNCOVER DISTINCT MECHANISMS IN CHILDHOOD ASTHMA, CONSIDERING GENETICS, EPIGENETICS, AND ENVIRONMENT. MOREOVER, A DISCUSSION OF NEW, POWERFUL TOOLS FOR SINGLE-CELL IMMUNOLOGIC ASSAYS FOR PHENOTYPIC AND FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS IS INCLUDED, WHICH PROMISE NEW MECHANISTIC INSIGHTS INTO CHILDHOOD ASTHMA DEVELOPMENT AND THERAPEUTIC AND PREVENTIVE STRATEGIES. 2023 17 4063 20 MATERNAL AND CHILDHOOD ASTHMA: RISK FACTORS, INTERACTIONS, AND RAMIFICATIONS. ASTHMA IS EMERGING AS A PREMIER EXAMPLE OF A HEALTH RISK THAT CAN LARGELY BE MOLDED BY THE STATUS OF THE MOTHER AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS ENCOUNTERED DURING SENSITIVE WINDOWS OF PRENATAL AND EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT. WHILE GENETIC BACKGROUND, ALLERGIC STATUS OF PARENTS, AND PREDISPOSITION FOR ATOPY AND INFLAMMATION PLAY A ROLE, EARLY-LIFE ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS CAN COMPLETELY ALTER THE COURSE OF IMMUNE AND RESPIRATORY SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT. ENVIRONMENTALLY INDUCED ALTERATIONS THAT (1) MAINTAIN THE TH2 BIAS SEEN DURING GESTATION, (2) BLOCK THE MATURATION OF INNATE IMMUNE CELLS AND (3) CREATE INFLAMMATORY DYSFUNCTION IN THE INFANT PROVIDE THE FOUNDATION FOR CHILDHOOD ASTHMA. NO SINGLE RISK FACTOR CAN FULLY EXPLAIN THE INCREASED PREVALENCE OF ASTHMA IN RECENT DECADES BUT IT IS ASSUMED THAT THE RAPID INCREASE IS DUE TO ENVIRONMENTAL AND/OR EPIGENETIC CHANGES. WELL-ESTABLISHED AND SUSPECTED ENVIRONMENTAL RISK FACTORS COVER ALL CATEGORIES OF EARLY LIFE INTERACTIONS FROM DIET, EXPOSURE TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINANTS AND DRUGS, MATERNAL AND NEONATAL INFECTIONS, HYGIENE, TIMING OF VACCINATIONS AND EVEN THE MODE OF BIRTH DELIVERY. BECAUSE ASTHMA IS CONNECTED TO THE RISK OF SEVERAL COMORBID CHRONIC CONDITIONS, THE BENEFIT OF ASTHMA RISK REDUCTION AND PREVENTION IS GREATER THAN INITIALLY MAY BE APPARENT. THIS REVIEW DISCUSSES STRATEGIES TO OPTIMIZE PREVENTATIVE AND THERAPEUTIC OPTIONS ACROSS LIFE STAGES. 2011 18 3771 24 INTER- AND TRANSGENERATIONAL EPIGENETIC INHERITANCE: EVIDENCE IN ASTHMA AND COPD? EVIDENCE IS NOW EMERGING THAT EARLY LIFE ENVIRONMENT CAN HAVE LIFELONG EFFECTS ON METABOLIC, CARDIOVASCULAR, AND PULMONARY FUNCTION IN OFFSPRING, A CONCEPT ALSO KNOWN AS FETAL OR DEVELOPMENTAL PROGRAMMING. IN MAMMALS, DEVELOPMENTAL PROGRAMMING IS THOUGHT TO OCCUR MAINLY VIA EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS, WHICH INCLUDE DNA METHYLATION, HISTONE MODIFICATIONS, AND EXPRESSION OF NON-CODING RNAS. THE EFFECTS OF DEVELOPMENTAL PROGRAMMING CAN BE INDUCED BY THE INTRAUTERINE ENVIRONMENT, LEADING TO INTERGENERATIONAL EPIGENETIC EFFECTS FROM ONE GENERATION TO THE NEXT. TRANSGENERATIONAL EPIGENETIC INHERITANCE MAY BE CONSIDERED WHEN DEVELOPMENTAL PROGRAMMING IS TRANSMITTED ACROSS GENERATIONS THAT WERE NOT EXPOSED TO THE INITIAL ENVIRONMENT WHICH TRIGGERED THE CHANGE. SO FAR, INTER- AND TRANSGENERATIONAL PROGRAMMING HAS BEEN MAINLY DESCRIBED FOR CARDIOVASCULAR AND METABOLIC DISEASE RISK. IN THIS REVIEW, WE DISCUSS AVAILABLE EVIDENCE THAT EPIGENETIC INHERITANCE ALSO OCCURS IN RESPIRATORY DISEASES, USING ASTHMA AND CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD) AS EXAMPLES. WHILE MULTIPLE EPIDEMIOLOGICAL AS WELL AS ANIMAL STUDIES DEMONSTRATE EFFECTS OF 'TOXIC' INTRAUTERINE EXPOSURE ON VARIOUS ASTHMA-RELATED PHENOTYPES IN THE OFFSPRING, ONLY FEW STUDIES LINK EPIGENETIC MARKS TO THE OBSERVED PHENOTYPES. AS EPIGENETIC MARKS MAY DISTINGUISH INDIVIDUALS MOST AT RISK OF LATER DISEASE AT EARLY AGE, IT WILL ENABLE EARLY INTERVENTION STRATEGIES TO REDUCE SUCH RISKS. TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL FURTHER, WELL DESIGNED EXPERIMENTAL AND HUMAN STUDIES ARE NEEDED. 2015 19 2584 20 EPIGENETICS OF OBESITY. OBESITY IS A METABOLIC DISEASE, WHICH IS BECOMING AN EPIDEMIC HEALTH PROBLEM: IT HAS BEEN RECENTLY DEFINED IN TERMS OF GLOBAL PANDEMIC. OVER THE YEARS, THE APPROACHES THROUGH FAMILY, TWINS AND ADOPTION STUDIES LED TO THE IDENTIFICATION OF SOME CAUSAL GENES IN MONOGENIC FORMS OF OBESITY BUT THE ORIGINS OF THE PANDEMIC OF OBESITY CANNOT BE CONSIDERED ESSENTIALLY DUE TO GENETIC FACTORS, BECAUSE HUMAN GENOME IS NOT LIKELY TO CHANGE IN JUST A FEW YEARS. EPIGENETIC STUDIES HAVE OFFERED IN RECENT YEARS VALUABLE TOOLS FOR THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLDWIDE SPREAD OF THE PANDEMIC OF OBESITY. THE INVOLVEMENT OF EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS-DNA METHYLATION, HISTONE TAILS, AND MIRNAS MODIFICATIONS-IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF OBESITY IS MORE AND MORE EVIDENT. IN THE EPIGENETIC LITERATURE, THERE ARE EVIDENCES THAT THE ENTIRE EMBRYO-FETAL AND PERINATAL PERIOD OF DEVELOPMENT PLAYS A KEY ROLE IN THE PROGRAMMING OF ALL HUMAN ORGANS AND TISSUES. THEREFORE, THE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS INVOLVED IN THE EPIGENETIC PROGRAMMING REQUIRE A NEW AND GENERAL PATHOGENIC PARADIGM, THE DEVELOPMENTAL ORIGINS OF HEALTH AND DISEASE THEORY, TO EXPLAIN THE CURRENT EPIDEMIOLOGICAL TRANSITION, THAT IS, THE WORLDWIDE INCREASE OF CHRONIC, DEGENERATIVE, AND INFLAMMATORY DISEASES SUCH AS OBESITY, DIABETES, CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES, NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES, AND CANCER. OBESITY AND ITS RELATED COMPLICATIONS ARE MORE AND MORE ASSOCIATED WITH ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTANTS (OBESOGENS), GUT MICROBIOTA MODIFICATIONS AND UNBALANCED FOOD INTAKE, WHICH CAN INDUCE, THROUGH EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS, WEIGHT GAIN, AND ALTERED METABOLIC CONSEQUENCES. 2016 20 2802 25 FETAL AND INFANT ORIGINS OF ASTHMA. PREVIOUS STUDIES HAVE SUGGESTED THAT ASTHMA, LIKE OTHER COMMON DISEASES, HAS AT LEAST PART OF ITS ORIGIN EARLY IN LIFE. LOW BIRTH WEIGHT HAS BEEN SHOWN TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED RISKS OF ASTHMA, CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE AIRWAY DISEASE, AND IMPAIRED LUNG FUNCTION IN ADULTS, AND INCREASED RISKS OF RESPIRATORY SYMPTOMS IN EARLY CHILDHOOD. THE DEVELOPMENTAL PLASTICITY HYPOTHESIS SUGGESTS THAT THE ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN LOW BIRTH WEIGHT AND DISEASES IN LATER LIFE ARE EXPLAINED BY ADAPTATION MECHANISMS IN FETAL LIFE AND INFANCY IN RESPONSE TO VARIOUS ADVERSE EXPOSURES. VARIOUS PATHWAYS LEADING FROM ADVERSE FETAL AND INFANT EXPOSURES TO GROWTH ADAPTATIONS AND RESPIRATORY HEALTH OUTCOMES HAVE BEEN STUDIED, INCLUDING FETAL AND EARLY INFANT GROWTH PATTERNS, MATERNAL SMOKING AND DIET, CHILDREN'S DIET, RESPIRATORY TRACT INFECTIONS AND ACETAMINOPHEN USE, AND GENETIC SUSCEPTIBILITY. STILL, THE SPECIFIC ADVERSE EXPOSURES IN FETAL AND EARLY POSTNATAL LIFE LEADING TO RESPIRATORY DISEASE IN ADULT LIFE ARE NOT YET FULLY UNDERSTOOD. CURRENT STUDIES SUGGEST THAT BOTH ENVIRONMENTAL AND GENETIC FACTORS IN VARIOUS PERIODS OF LIFE, AND THEIR EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS MAY UNDERLIE THE COMPLEX ASSOCIATIONS OF LOW BIRTH WEIGHT WITH RESPIRATORY DISEASE IN LATER LIFE. NEW WELL-DESIGNED EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO IDENTIFY THE SPECIFIC UNDERLYING MECHANISMS. THIS REVIEW IS FOCUSED ON SPECIFIC ADVERSE FETAL AND INFANT GROWTH PATTERNS AND EXPOSURES, GENETIC SUSCEPTIBILITY, POSSIBLE RESPIRATORY ADAPTATIONS AND PERSPECTIVES FOR NEW STUDIES. 2012