Environmental effects on changes in gene expression

Posljednjih 10 do 15 godina ubrzani razvoj novih spoznaja u genetici ukazao je na potpuno nove mehanizme nastanka pojedinih bolesti, a posebno razvoja pojedinih kliničkih fenotipova. Promjene u epigenetskome profilu stanice mogu biti pozitivne i pogodovati izražavanju povoljnih gena, kao što su geni koji sudjeluju u staničnoj signalizaciji i suzbijanju onkogeneze. Međutim, promjene također mogu biti štetne i mijenjati funkcije važnih gena, što dovodi do bolesti. Nedavno je dokazano da se neki epigenetski biljezi mogu zadržavati tijekom mejoze i tako prenositi transgeneracijski. Najveći broj publiciranih radova odnosi se na mehanizme autoimunosti i karcinogenezu, no u zadnjih pet godina pojavljuju se i radovi koji se bave fenomenom međureakcije čimbenika okoliša i ekspresije bolesti za brojna druga stanja. U radu su analizirane dosadašnje spoznaje te njihov klinički značaj.In the last 10-15 years the rapid development of new knowledge in genetics pointed out entirely new mechanisms of development of certain diseases, in particular the development of some clinical phenotypes. Changes in the epigenetic profile of a cell can be positive and favor the expression of advantageus genes such as those linked to cell signaling and tumor suppression. However, they can also be detrimental and alter the functions of important genes, thereby leading to disease. Recent evidence has further highlighted that some epigenetic marks can be maintained across meiosis and be transmitted to the subsequent generation to reprogram developmental and cellular features. The largest number of published works refers to the mechanisms of carcinogenesis and autoimmunity, but in the last five years, there are also works that deal with the phenomenon of interplay of environmental factors and the expression of the disease for many other conditions. The article analyzes recent findings and their clinical significance