Climate Change and Epigenetics

Tarık DÜZENLİa, Ferda Emriye PERÇİNb

aGazi University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Medical Genetics, Ankara, Türkiye
bGENTAN Genetic Diseases Evaluation Center, İzmir, Türkiye

ABSTRACT
Climate change is a continuous global phenomenon that has significant implications on various aspects of human life. It has both direct and indirect effects on human health. The effects of climate change on human health are not only limited to the exposed generation, but also have the potential to affect future generations through epigenetic inheritance. Epigenetics refers to heritable changes that regulate gene expression and phenotype without altering the primary DNA sequence. Epigenetic modifications play a crucial role in the regulation of the developmental process, tuning the physiological gene dosage required for the maintenance of vital functions, and adaptation of organisms to changes in environmental conditions. However, it has also been shown that epigenetic inheritance causes the transmission of some pathological conditions, which can also be defined as maladaptation, to future generations. Recent studies and scientific evidence prove that climate change has effects on human physiology through epigenetic changes. Therefore, the effects of the external environment on genes may play a role in disease etiopathogenesis in humans and some of these effects may be heritable. In support of this, there is growing evidence that disruption of gene expression patterns governed by epigenetics can lead to autoimmune diseases, metabolic and psychiatric disorders and cancers. Further delineation of epigenetic mechanisms that underlie disorders may also enhance our understanding of the pathogenesis of novel treatments that target these specific mechanisms.
Keywords: Climate change; epigenomics; epigenesis, genetic

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