Environmental epitranscriptomics

Abstract

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Recent Major Transcriptomics and Epitranscriptomics Contributions toward Personalized and Precision Medicine

“…This is precisely the premise of epitranscriptomics assays. Apart from methylation of mRNA, several other epigenomic signatures are known for many types of RNA [153,154]. Here we only cover a specific epitranscriptomic signature that appears to have disproportionately great impact on brain development and functioning.…”

“…Epitranscriptomics or "RNA epigenetics" refers to the study of post-transcriptional chemical modifications of RNA. Over 150 RNA modifications are currently known [153,155]. Though several RNA species may be "epi-modified", among them; mRNAs, tRNAs and miRNAs [154], to our current knowledge, mRNA methylation accounts for the major faction [156].…”

“…As elegantly reviewed by Shafik and colleagues, dynamic m6A RNA methylation is being shown to play a pivotal role in how the brain responds to environmental impacts and in the development of disease [157]. Indeed, an emerging field of "environmental epitranscriptomics" is showing how epigenetic modification of RNA in response to changes in the surrounding environment can impact a variety of biological processes [153]. While this field is yet in its infancy and not robust enough to significantly influence precision/personalized medicine, we anticipate a future impactful role from epitranscriptomics especially for ND [161], as the brain seems to be particularly susceptible to epitranscriptome signaturing.…”

Environmental toxicant-induced maladaptive mitochondrial changes: A potential unifying mechanism in fatty liver disease?

“…However, most studies thus far on epigenetic regulation of mtDNA focus on methylation, and other pathways of epigenetic regulation are understudied. Moreover, epitranscriptomics, a relatively new field of study 138 , 139 , which includes functionally relevant changes to the genome that do not involve a change in the nucleotide sequence, has hardly been explored in the field of environmental chemicals 140 .…”

Nanoparticle-Induced m6A RNA Modification: Detection Methods, Mechanisms and Applications

“…Increasing evidence suggests that DNA methylation, miRNA regulation, histone modification, RNA modification and other epigenetic modulations play a significant role in the biological activity of NPs [ 23 , 24 , 25 ]. An increasing amount of research suggests that environmentally induced epigenetic modifications are involved in the initiation and processing of various diseases [ 26 ], such as obesity, dysplasia and even cancer, implying that NPs may have long-term negative health consequences. Many studies have been performed, but unfortunately, there is limited knowledge regarding the relationship between nanoparticles and m 6 A RNA modification, which is one of the most abundant mRNA modifications.…”