Open AccessMicroRNAs as Epigenetic Targets of Cigarette Smoke During Embryonic Development
Author(s) -
Ratnam S. Seelan,
Robert M. Greene,
M. Michele Pisano
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
microrna
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.891
H-Index - 20
eISSN - 2211-5374
pISSN - 2211-5366
DOI - 10.2174/2211536608666190926114704
Subject(s) - epigenetics , microrna , epigenome , biology , embryonic stem cell , cigarette smoke , embryogenesis , fetus , bioinformatics , genetics , gene , pregnancy , dna methylation , gene expression , toxicology
The adverse developmental effects of exposure to Cigarette Smoke (CS) during pregnancy are documented in this paper. These include low birth weight, congenital anomalies, preterm birth, fetal mortality and morbidity. The current biological thought now recognizes that epigenetics represents a fundamental contributing process in embryogenesis, and that the environment can have a profound effect on shaping the epigenome. It has become increasingly recognized that genes encoding microRNAs (miRNAs) might be potential loci for congenital disabilities. One means by which CS can cause developmental anomalies may be through epigenetic mechanisms involving altered miRNA expression. While several studies have focused on genes affected by CS during embryonic/ fetal development, there is a paucity of knowledge on the involvement of miRNAs in this process. This brief review summarizes the current state of knowledge in this area.