Epigenetics and Environmental Exposures

A special issue of DNA (ISSN 2673-8856).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 December 2024 | Viewed by 1720

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Team Epigenetics, DNA replication and Cancer, Université de Paris, Institut Cochin, INSERM, F-75014 Paris, France
Interests: DNA replication; epigenetics; cancer

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, Waite Research Institute, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
Interests: epigenetics; DNA methylation; development

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It is well known that our lifestyles, as well as our environment, have a pronounced effect on our organisms. Examples abound of how chemical compounds and xenobiotics present in food, water or the atmosphere are capable of altering epigenetic status and gene expression and thus impact human health. Studies have also shown how diet, anxiety, lack of sleep or a sedentary lifestyle can affect epigenetic status, gene expression and human health. More importantly, some studies have reported on the long-term effects of these exposures or effects linked to low-dose exposure.

Epigenetic modifications (e.g., DNA methylation, histone modifications, histone variants, non-coding RNAs) play a central role in regulating various essential cellular processes. These modifications are extremely sensitive to changes in cell metabolism or cell signalling induced by environmental signals. Characterizing the relationship between environmental exposures, these modifications and their functions is essential to better understand how environmental signals can be linked to disease or long-term effects.

In this Special Issue, we welcome review articles and original research studies exploring these aspects in vitro, in cellular and animal models as well as in human.

Dr. Benoît Miotto
Dr. Tina Bianco-Miotto
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. DNA is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly 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 1000 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

  • epigenetics
  • chemicals
  • histone marks and variants
  • DNA methylation
  • non-coding RNAs
  • diseases
  • chromatin organisation
  • low-dose and cocktail effects

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

9 pages, 459 KiB  
Article
Child Telomere Length at 11–12 Years of Age Is Not Associated with Pregnancy Complications
by Tina Bianco-Miotto, Sadia Hossain, Nahal Habibi, Dandara G. Haag and Jessica A. Grieger
DNA 2024, 4(2), 180-188; https://doi.org/10.3390/dna4020011 - 11 Jun 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 840
Abstract
Children born from pregnancy complications are at higher risk of chronic diseases in adulthood. Identifying which children born from a complicated pregnancy are likely to suffer from later chronic disease is important in order to intervene to prevent or delay the onset of [...] Read more.
Children born from pregnancy complications are at higher risk of chronic diseases in adulthood. Identifying which children born from a complicated pregnancy are likely to suffer from later chronic disease is important in order to intervene to prevent or delay the onset of disease. This study examined the associations between the major pregnancy complications (gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, small- and large for gestational age, and preterm birth) and child telomere length, a biomarker of chronic disease risk. This was a population-based longitudinal analysis using data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. The primary outcome is telomere length, measured in 11–12-year-old children. Multivariable linear regression was used to estimate the association between pregnancy complications and child telomere length, adjusting for a range of a priori confounders. Data from 841 families were used. One in four pregnancies (27.1%) featured a pregnancy complication. In the adjusted analysis, there was no association between pregnancy complications and child telomere length (high blood pressure: mean difference (95% CI): 0.00 (−0.12, 0.12); gestational diabetes (0.05 (−0.10, 0.19)); small for gestational age (0.07 (−0.04, 0.19)); large for gestational age (−0.06 (−0.15, 0.03)); and preterm birth (−0.10 (−0.21, 0.01)). Our results do not support the notion that telomere length is shorter in children born to mothers after a pregnancy complication. Methodological considerations should be rigorous to improve the reproducibility of findings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Epigenetics and Environmental Exposures)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop