Stress and the Epigenetic Landscape: a Link to the Pathobiology of Human Diseases?

Overview

Journal Nat Rev Genet

Specialty Genetics

Date 2010 Oct 6

PMID 20921961

Citations 51

Authors

Sarah E Johnstone

Stephen B Baylin

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Accumulating evidence points to a major role for chronic stress of cell renewal systems in the pathogenesis of important human diseases, including cancer, atherosclerosis and diabetes. Here we discuss emerging evidence that epigenetic abnormalities may make substantial contributions to these stress-induced pathologies. Although the mechanisms remain to be fully elucidated, we suggest that chronic stress can elicit heritable changes in the chromatin landscape that 'lock' cells in abnormal states, which then lead to disease. We emphasize the need to investigate epigenetic states in disease and links to stress and to consider how the knowledge gained through these studies may foster new means of disease prevention and management.

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