Epigenetic Memory of Environmental Exposure: A Physiological Perspective

Symposium — Sunday, April 22, 2024 — 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM — Convention Center, Room 25B
Environmental and Exercise Physiology Section — Chair: Alexander Murashov — Co-Chair: Thomas L Clanton

Emerging discoveries have demonstrated that certain types of environmental stress stimuli, such as exercise, heat exposure, hypoxia, or exposure to environmental pollutants result in alterations in DNA structure, miRNA expression or modifications to histones that can be carried over to the next generation of cells and even to offspring.  These epigenetic alterations help shape how cells develop and communities of organisms adapt to their environment and optimize their physiological responses over long periods of time.  This symposium will provide an introduction to epigenetics from a physiological perspective and cover a spectrum of examples that demonstrate this phenomenon.  This is a relatively new and an intensely interesting area of research that is redefining how we view evolution and environmental adaptation.  It should introduce APS members to new dimensions of environmental physiology. 

Speakers

• Molecular mechanism of epigenetic regulation.
  Scott B. Rothbart — Van Andel Institute, Center for Epigenetics


• Ancestral paternal nutrition and modulation of cancer risk and phenotype.
  Sonia de Assis — Oncology, Georgetown University Medical Center


• Mechanisms underlying the nutritional programming of cardio-metabolic health.
  Susan Ozanne — Clinical Biochemistry, University of Cambridge


• Mechanisms underlying developmental programming of thrifty phenotype.
  Alexander Murashov — Physiology, East Carolina University