The presence of human-made chemical contaminants in the environment has increased rapidly during the past 70 years. Harmful effects of such contaminants were first reported in the late 1950s in wildlife and later in humans. These effects are predominantly induced by endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), chemicals that mimic the actions of endogenous hormones and leave marks at several levels of organization in organisms, from physiological outcomes (phenotypes) to molecular alterations, including epigenetic modifications. Epigenetic mechanisms play pivotal roles in the developmental processes that contribute to determining adult phenotypes, through so-called epigenetic programming. While there is increasing evidence that EDC exposure during sensitive periods of development can perturb epigenetic programming, it is unclear whether these changes are truly predictive of adverse outcomes. Understanding the mechanistic links between EDC-induced epigenetic changes and phenotypic endpoints will be critical for ...

中文翻译：

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终生标记：内分泌干扰化学物质的表观遗传效应

在过去的 70 年中，环境中人造化学污染物的存在迅速增加。1950 年代后期，首次报道了此类污染物对野生动物和后来对人类的有害影响。这些影响主要由内分泌干扰化学物质 (EDC) 诱导，这些化学物质模拟内源性激素的作用，并在生物体的多个组织层次上留下痕迹，从生理结果（表型）到分子改变，包括表观遗传修饰。通过所谓的表观遗传编程，表观遗传机制在有助于确定成人表型的发育过程中发挥着关键作用。虽然越来越多的证据表明在发育的敏感时期暴露于 EDC 会扰乱表观遗传编程，目前尚不清楚这些变化是否真的能预测不良结果。了解 EDC 诱导的表观遗传变化与表型终点之间的机制联系对于……